Nasty Surprises
by xGeorgiaMacLeod
Summary: The Doctor, April, Rose and Terry take a pit stop to the planet Zorlon to explore the land and its culture. But when they are kidnapped by an old enemy, they are flooded with danger - especially when this enemy begs the Doctor for help. They soon find themselves in a world where those they once thought was dead have another parallel life, and old friends are reunited. Book 2/5
1. Prologue

This is novel 2 out of 5 in the order of: _Unusual Circumstances_ , _**Nasty Surprises**_ , _Interrogating Answers_ , _Time Heals_ , and _The Day of Destruction_. This follows directly from the ending of Unusual Circumstances.

* * *

 **Prologue**

 _Date: unknown_  
 _Destination: To be figured_

The stars paint the night sky like Chinese lanterns in the New Year, only there are more and they look somewhat smaller due to their distance. Each and every star twinkle in its own unique way, holding all life that surrounds it, pulling planets, asteroids and moons around its gravitational pull. All spinning slowly, taking up the time they need.

Standing on the Earth's surface, humans are only able to see what's out in front of them. Whether they are looking through a telescope or just with the naked eye, all they can see are the twinkling stars in the night sky, far beyond their reach.

However sitting up in space is a completely different story.

The universe is alive. Every star, every constellation, every planet, every black hole; life is everywhere; unheard of and unknown.

Somewhere in the distance there is the start of a supernova. Slowly to begin with and then all at once. Life is born again. New stars appear in the sky as others die and fall. The uncontrolled nuclear reactions within this small proportion of stars finally reach its unstable state, resulting in it to explode.

Yet nothing is heard. The supernova is just a visual affect. The sound of the explosion can be heard in one's mind, but it is only imagination. Whatever travels, falls or collides in space can never be heard. Silence is all around.

Just off where the supernova occurs, there is a small flash of light. A blue light that flashes every few seconds. However, as the light gets closer and closer, it can easily be seen that the light is attached to the roof of a Police Public Call Box. The police box slowly spins around in circles as it flies elegantly through space. And again, nothing is heard from it. Just the visualisation of a police box spinning on its axis, the light flashing upon its roof.

The low rumble of the Tardis console echoes across the console room, bouncing off the circular walls and echoing down the many different corridors.

The four living beings on the Tardis have just returned from a long trip to the galaxy Andrymia, in which their mission was to throw the dust particles of Bruce Fey's shape shifter into a black hole, banishing it from existence for good.

April Hollerford, who has taken Bruce Fey's attacks for the past five years of her life, believed it was still the same man who her father befriended during their time at school and was a close family friend. She believed that it was only a rapid turn of mental health issues that affected Bruce after her parent's sudden death. But from the sight of the tadpole lookalikes floating around his head and then the sudden appearance of a creature standing in a blue and white fencing suit, it was clear that Bruce had been killed at the same time as April's parents and that this shape shifter took the form of Bruce's appearance in an attempt to kill April.

But because of the Doctor and his promise to her father, Declan Hollerford, its mission to kill April was unsuccessful.

April was glad to watch the dust particles float in space for a few seconds before being instantly sucked up into the black hole. She felt a tidal wave of different emotions as Rose and Terry closed the Tardis doors. It was a mix of anger, distrust, loneliness, hurt, relief, tearful and strength. Once the doors closed, she felt lonely as everyone she knew, her family and friends from home were all gone and out of her life. But the low rumble of the Tardis brought her back to the present moment. She has the Doctor who is saving her life as much as she is saving his. She has Terry, the human-like cyborg made by the Doctor, who has the knowledge beyond any human brain and who knows every last detail about each and every person she meets. And then she has Rose Tyler who has been travelling with the Doctor for a few years now. It is an unlikely friendship between the four of them, but April is thankful to have someone different in her life.

Although, Rose can sense the feeling of dislike from April and neither of them knows why they can't quite warm up to one another. Is it jealousy? Is it caution? They just do not know.

The journey out of the galaxy Andrymia was rather bumpy and unstable as they had to force the Tardis away from the strength of the black hole. And now, millions and millions of miles away from where they were before, the Tardis silently sweeps through space. The only sound that can be heard is what is happening on the inside.


	2. I - The Fly market

**I  
The fly market**

 _Somewhere in the universe_

The Doctor comes out from one of the corridors, running his fingers through his fluffy brown hair. April sits cross-legged on the chair by the console. She seems to be studying the console as she passes an elastic band ball from one hand to the other. Terry sits underneath the console, working with the wires.

Rose eventually comes out from the corridor behind the Doctor. "Where are we going now, Doctor?" She asks, patting him on the arm before pulling her blonde hair out of her ponytail.

The Doctor sighs as he unfolds his arms. "Fancy going to another planet? Perhaps one where the distance is further than we've travelled before?"

Rose smiles at his response.

"How about the planet Zorlon? They seem to have a market around this time of year when the planet slowly moves away from their star." He starts walking forward to the console and Rose follows. He catches April's suspicious glance for a moment before he turns and roughly pulls down a leaver. The Tardis shudders, jolting them nearly off their feet before they start moving. However the Tardis groans as they travel through time and space, not the usual sound it makes, almost as if it is a huge effort for it to move. The Doctor sighs. The Tardis must be tired after the long trip over to Andrymia. However he does not mention the fact that he can fee some sort of weight pressing against his ship.

They eventually land and the Doctor mutters something under his breath about the way the Tardis sounded as they travelled. He strokes the console a little before moving to the doors. April clambers off the seat and Terry stands by her side.

The Doctor presses his ear against the door, trying to see if he can hear anything outside. Rose does the same, looking at the Doctor as they start whispering.

"Why did the Tardis make that noise?" Rose asks.

"What noise?" The Doctor replies as he cranes his neck trying to detect sound outside.

"You know, that groaning sound she just made the," Rose hesitates before trying to impersonate the sound but the Doctor just looks amused. "Don't laugh! She sounded tired."

"The poor girl probably is after that trek out of Andrymia. We'll give her a break as we explore the planet," The Doctor then lowers his voice. "Why don't you introduce the planet to April? Tell her about the creatures that live here, their rules and regulations, their culture and why this market is so important."

Rose snorts. "Why would April want to listen to me when we clearly don't get on well at all?"

The Doctor shuffles on the spot. "That's still a mystery to me. I don't get what it is with you girls."

"How do you think we feel? We don't always get you Time Lords!"

The Doctor and Rose laugh a little.

"Do you think April is going to cope seeing her first planet? I mean you've only taken her back in time around Earth and I got a spaceship on my first go!"

"A spaceship full of aliens," The Doctor nods. "She'll be fine. She handled the Slitheen well so I'm sure she will handle planet Zorlon. Besides there's nothing dangerous about Zorlon. It's a peaceful planet. The planet has been at peace for many centuries."

"Yeah but going by you, there's always something dangerous wherever you go."

The Doctor stares at Rose for a while before he turns to April and Terry, both of them looking a little impatient but also covering up the fact that they were trying to listen to what they had been whispering about.

"Just a brief guide," The Doctor starts and he digs his hands in his trouser pockets. "April we're about fifty-eight million years into your future and about three hundred thousand point six light years away from Earth. Zorlon is the name of the planet. It's hot, _very_ hot actually, especially at this time of year but what you have to understand that these creatures have obtained this planet. It's not their original home town. It was about three hundred thousand years ago when they discovered Zorlon and started to convert their lifestyle from air to land. Yet they can be very stubborn and would only harm you if you pose a threat to them. Other than that they will be very welcoming and allow us to mooch around their planet."

April raises an eyebrow before returning back to her usual scowl that constantly remains on her face. "Who says that they won't pose a threat to us? How do you know they suddenly won't like having visitors?"

"They will know that we're only here to explore and not to harm," Rose chips in. "A friendly gesture is in order."

April remains silent as Terry starts to walk forward.

"Well I'd at least like to go now before they pack the market away for the day." Terry says.

The sound of visiting an alien market excites April as a smile spreads across her face. She suddenly starts rushing across the console room, speeding pass Terry.

"You guys have done this plenty of times before. This one is mine!" April says before hesitating when she reaches the doors. There is no guessing as to what is to be seen outside the doors. It is an alien planet miles and miles away from her home and she doesn't know what to expect. Will there be a sky like she had? Or will they just see the stars and planets in the sky? What will the ground be like and the texture of any other surfaces? Will they have wild plants growing? And what will the aliens look like and how will they communicate to them?

April slowly reaches for the metal door handle before pulling it open.

At first, she is met by a sudden brightness, almost blinded by the light. April manages to pull the door open wider to allow herself more space to step out. She attentively steps one foot out of the Tardis to land on a hard surface.

She looks at the ground which is made out of dark grey stone gravel. There are many cracks in the gravel and in the cracks form little tunnels of smooth flowing liquid. She takes another step out the Tardis and then a couple of steps forward, as her eyes adjust to the brightness, although she has to shield her eyes.

Out in front of her is a large open space. The sky is painted an orange hue and behind what seems to be clouds are other planets that obviously orbits their star close to Zorlon. The planets look a little faded, just like the moon does in a cloudless sky in the early morning.

Flying in and out of the clouds are large black beasts which look like a cross between a dragon and a very large bird. The stone gravel spreads out in front of her, and over in the distance, tall cliff-like hills are visible. There are two main hills on either side of April's peripheral vision and joining the two hills together is an archway made out of the same stone gravel beneath her feet. The archway sits on top of each hill and crosses over the large lake on the ground in the middle. Behind the two large hills are many other hills but smaller. They curve round, obviously creating a pathway for the habitants to follow. Down by the lake are more of the dragon and birdlike creatures. Some are sleeping in the sunlight, some in the shade of the hills and some rolling in the lake. Some come down from the sky and some fly back up.

It is a view that April cannot comprehend into words.

Eventually the Doctor, Rose and Terry step out of the Tardis to enjoy the new view.

"Welcome to Zorlon, April Hollerford. The home of the Flies," The Doctor announces before gesturing to the creatures in the lake. "And the Wingerdettes. Part dragon, part red kite. They too and the Flies live off the liquid that runs through the cracks in the ground and to the lake. I believe there's a sea not far off."

April just nods to what the Doctor says but is too stunned to reply.

"I've been travelling with you for what, nearly five years now, Doctor, and planets like this never cease to amaze me." As Rose says this she can't help but notice that the corners of April's lips have curled up into a small smile, yet her gaze remains focused on the view ahead.

After several long moments of allowing the beautiful view to sink in, the four set out ahead. They enter the middle pathway of the two hills, passing underneath the archway. The Wingerdettes stop what they are doing and raise their heads one by one to look at their passing visitors. The way the Wingerdettes look at them reminds both April and Rose of how cows in fields would stop eating grass to look up at a passing humans.

Soon enough some Wingerdettes move out the way politely to give them room to pass through. Others, however, are more curious and decide to follow them for a little while. April can feel breath being blown on her hand and as she turns, she finds a Wingerdette right on her tail, sniffing her hand and her arm. The Wingerdette looks up at her with his large round olive coloured eyes before stopping and retreating back to the lake.

The four continue to move on, following the pathway created by the hills. They start to curve round a bend to the left so that the view of the lake and the Tardis is eventually hidden far behind the hills. After a fair few steps, the pathway then curves again but this time to the right and as they do they find the market.

At first quick glance, you'd think there are human beings holding the stalls and calling out to the other habitants, but then it comes to April's realisation as to why the Doctor had called them the Flies.

They are flies. Each and every one of them is a little taller than six foot but they all walk on two stick legs. They have two pairs of arms hanging down their sides and they have large heads with two large red eyes. However they are without their wings. They look like walking humans with the head of a fly.

They all start to wonder how each Fly can tell the other apart as they all look identical. All that is noticeable is the difference in sex as half the population is wearing beige coloured dresses and the other half wears beige coloured baggy tops and trousers. The Doctor mentions that it is the male species that wears the dresses.

It is mainly food that is sold at the market and only the Doctor is brave enough to try anything that sits on the dusty looking plates. April avoids it and Terry just sniffs at the food before instantly turning her nose up at it. The Doctor manages to persuade Rose to try a scoop of some gooey substance that tastes like cookie dough. Rose is surprised and excited by the taste and the Doctor orders a bag-full for two before passing the Fly some small stones.

The Doctor and Rose starts to walk around the market hand-in-hand. The Doctor enthusiastically tells her about the wonders of the market and its history. They hop from one stall to the next accepting free samples. One female Fly places a long turquoise beaded necklace around Rose's neck and then the Doctor is offered a bag of food from another stall. He wrinkles his nose in disgust not only at the sight of the food but mainly of the rotting smell. The Fly looks at the Doctor expectantly, obviously wanting him to taste the food. Rose nudges the Doctor and nods to the plate of food.

"It's only kind to say thank you and have a try." She mutters to him.

Without a word, the Doctor takes a small handful of the food and tastes it. He recoils instantly but swallows it nevertheless, giving the Fly a thumbs-up just to please him. He then declines the Fly's offer for a bag-full off it.

Terry on the other hand, walks around the market, analysing each and every Fly and looking at their products suspiciously. She then finds herself in a conversation with one of the Flies, talking about their history with Zorlon. She understands what the Fly is saying due to the Tardis translating their language to English, but Terry is also able to understand the buzzed Fly language without the English.

April finds herself being fascinated by the Flies and their stalls. She is mainly interested in all their craft work, admiring their gold and silver jewellery as well as their sewing products. They have created many different quilts with beautifully woven patterns. There is one stall that is selling hundreds of pairs of trousers and tops and dresses that they all are wearing.

April looks at the stall selling silver jewellery. There are many different boxes, one for each type of jewellery. One of the boxes is full of broaches and pendants.

However the thing that intrigues April the most out all of the silver jewellery in front of her, is one of the broaches. The broach is in the shape of a hexagonal plate and along the edges is a carved weaving pattern, almost looking like the cracks in the gravel. In the middle of the hexagonal plate is a carved Wingerdette. Its long neck bends down to the bottom of the hexagon, its eyes fixing on its red kite looking tail, almost as if it is chasing it. However as April catches the broach in the sunlight, the Wingerdette's carving suddenly looks like it is about to take flight. April shines the broach in and out of the light and it constantly changes from its chasing tail position to its taking flight position.

The Fly encourages her to buy it and she does so, giving the Fly three stones that she suddenly finds in her jean pocket. As she walks away, she clasps the broach in her hand before pinning it to her hoodie.

The day wears on and the planets in the sky shift to different positions, just like the stars do back on Earth. The orange hue from the sky turns into a purple hue as night falls. The Flies pack away the market and the Doctor says, as the four of them join together again to watch the calm sea surrounded by mountains, that the Flies will open the market for another two more days before the end of their season.

The air around them turns colder and when they find themselves starting to shiver in the cold as their sun is out of sight, they move on. They head through the open space where the market was held earlier that day, before retreating back through the hills till they reach the lake again.

It is eerily quiet as the Wingerdettes hibernate for the night. However April notices that Terry suddenly becomes very rigid as she walks. Her arms are tense at her sides, her eyes wide and her jaw clenched. Something is bothering her but for some reason she doesn't speak out about it which is rare. She keeps her focus ahead as they pass the lake.

Silence fills the cold air and the Doctor and Rose seem completely oblivious to the fact that something isn't quite right as they chatter away about the wonders of Zorlon.

April follows Terry's gaze and then too freezes on the spot in horror.

The space where they parked the Tardis is empty. The Tardis is no longer where they had left it. Terry stands by April.

"You've noticed it too." Terry states flatly, keeping her eyes fixed ahead as the Doctor and Rose pass them. Eventually the Doctor turns to look back.

"Something the matter?" He asks as his walking pace slows down to a final stop.

The crease lines in April's forehead from her scowl increases from the look of fear and confusion. Someone or some _thing_ has stolen the Tardis and hidden it. April's fear is that the Flies might turn out to be enemies of them and have taken away the Tardis. Her other thought is that the Wingerdettes have somehow taken it.

"The Tardis is not here any more." April eventually replies, her voice sounding calmer than she truly feels.

The Doctor raises an eyebrow in misunderstanding but then his face drops when he notices the look of fear in both April's and Terry's faces. He spins around to see that in fact the Tardis is not where he parked it. The Doctor shouts something to himself before he runs to the spot where it had been, taking out his sonic screwdriver and scanning the area. He is frantic with his movements, turning on the spot as his long brown coat wavers behind him. He then slowly lowers the sonic screwdriver as the others join him.

"What's happened?" Rose asks, almost sounding breathless. "What did you find?"

"The Tardis has been taken away from us." The Doctor says solemnly.

"By the Flies?" April suggests but the Doctor and Terry both shake their heads.

"It's been transported off this planet and I can't seem to track it down!" The Doctor pulls out the Tardis key from his coat pocket. It is frozen cold whereas it usually would be fairly warm if the Tardis is near. The Doctor grips onto his hair and paces up and down as he lets out an angry groan of frustration.

They are trapped on a planet; a planet where the temperature drops immensely as the night wears on and they have no way of escape. The Tardis has been transported away from the planet, away from its owner. The Doctor is not able to track it down. He feels lost and hopeless.

That is when they hear a loud bang.

A heavy gust of wind starts to blow as the ground beneath their feet start to crack and fall away. The four struggle to see as the wind blows heavily in their eyes. Their surroundings materialise into another setting. The gravel crumbles away, the hills peel into nothing in the gust and the planets fade away.

Soon enough the wind slows down as the last fragments of Zorlon disappears.

They are met with a large room with black marble flooring and bright orange metallic walls. The room is quiet except for a low beeping noise that rings in their ears and fills the empty space.

"Well," April breathes as the wind comes to a sudden halt. "It looks like that whatever took the Tardis has also transported us."

Rose's breath becomes quick and short as she turns to the Doctor. "Doctor, please give me a good enough reason as to why we're back on this spaceship!" Her voice wobbles with fright. "I thought I turned it into dust after looking into the heart of the Tardis!"

"It looks like they've built it back up again," The Doctor mutters as he slowly reaches for April's arm. "April, get behind me _now_." He orders.

"Why? Where are we?" She asks, sensing that they are not alone in the room.

"Just do as I say!" The Doctor then looks straight ahead, almost as if he is staring at something that is standing right in front of him. "Show yourself!" He bellows.

There is a sudden bright light as thousands of gold Daleks appear around them.


	3. II - A nasty surprise

**II  
A nasty surprise**

 _A Dalek spaceship_

Rose and April jump in fright at the sight of the hundreds of Daleks that have suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The Doctor pulls April up close behind him and Rose and Terry stand either side of the Doctor making a barrier, almost to hide April from the Daleks' view. April covers her mouth with her hand to quieten her breathing, yet she feels her limbs trembling with fear.

However the Daleks remain to do nothing at all. Instead of trying to kill them, they stand there, all looking up at the Doctor. They don't move, nor do they say anything. They just stare.

The Doctor's grip slowly loosens on April's arm as he looks from one Dalek to the next. Why have they transported them to their spaceship? And why have they not already threatened to kill them? The Doctor shuffles on the spot. Something is wrong with the Daleks. He can hear Terry's voice in his head, telling him that there is something different with them. Something isn't how it usually is.

The Doctor takes a step forward and Rose moves to the side, still shielding April. As the Doctor steps forward, a couple of Daleks quickly move back in fright.

"How do you do it?" The Doctor starts quietly. "No matter how many times I defeat you, you always find a way to come crawling back," He takes another step closer and then raises his voice. "Come on then, tell me! Tell me why you've brought me here. What have you done with my Tardis and why are we here?" The Daleks don't respond which only makes the Doctor angrier. "Tell me!" He yells. "I know you all fear me but come _on_ , guys, help me out here! What do you want me for?! Am I your prisoner? Your new slave? An object to your new experiment?" The Doctor grabs onto one of the Daleks with both his hands and start to vigorously shake it. "EXPLAIN!"

April watches the Doctor's actions from behind Rose. She has never seen the Doctor react in this way before and it is almost frightening to see. She does not know what these terrifying aliens are, but their appearance certainly has an effect on the Doctor, Rose and Terry.

"We need your help." The Dalek the Doctor shook, croaks. The two yellow lights on its dome light up on every word it speaks.

The Doctor hesitates for a moment, staring into the Dalek's blue eye as he slowly lets go. His brow furrows in confusion. "What?"

"We need your help, Doctor." Another repeats.

The Doctor looks at it, his mouth slightly agape. The Dalek's voice quivers as it speaks. They are all in fear. But not in fear of him.

Silence fills the spaceship except the constant low beeping sound which vibrates in the walls. The Doctor shifts awkwardly on the spot, a deep frown creasing his face as he glares at the Dalek in front of him. His first thought is that the Daleks are tricking him. They transported them to their spaceship just to make them believe that the Daleks are scared and need the Doctor's help, only to later reveal that it is just a trick in an attempt to exterminate them. But the Doctor notices that this isn't the case. No matter how much he doesn't want to believe them, he knows that something isn't quite right, They don't back away from the Doctor during his anger like they usually would, nor do they even threaten to exterminate him on the spot. They just stand there in silence, waiting for the Doctor to talk.

The Doctor is speechless. The Daleks behaviour is so different it almost scares him. Terry and Rose stand side by side, their shoulders touching as they stand guard of April. The three watch the Doctor as he makes a gesture to turn to them but thinks better of it.

The Doctor stands upright, adjusts his coat as he looks at the Dalek in front of him, dead straight in the eye.

"Explain." His voice is low and sincere.

"There is something after us." The Dalek's voice matches his, but it wavers more with its fear. When the Doctor remains silent and continues to stare, the Dalek continues to speak. "We've been hiding here in disguise among the stars. But they won't leave us alone!"

"Who's following you?"

"We don't know." Another speaks. Then all the Daleks start to speak at once.

"Just another spaceship."

"They're following us everywhere we go!"

"We're trapped under their force."

"They've tried to kill us before."

"We need to get them back!"

The Doctor looks from one Dalek to another and then lets out a loud, deflated sigh. "So let me get this straight," He begins. "You're now hiding in fear because this other spaceship that has been chasing after you for some while now and has tried to terminate you, but you were unable to destroy them back because you don't know who they are," The Doctor pauses for a moment before he lets out a loud laugh that echoes around the ship. "That sounds very un-Dalek like. You would've been able to kill them easily."

"We were not strong enough. We were still suffering from our last battle."

The Doctor holds that Dalek's gaze for a little while longer before he starts moving along the line of Daleks that surround them. The Daleks are still weak from the Battle of the Cytracik. Surely that should be a good sign, but this fact worries the Doctor more.

"And where do I come into the picture?" He asks.

"To help us destroy them."

The Doctor pauses before continuing to march around them as he lets out a loud cackle. "You want me…the Doctor, the Time Lord; the Oncoming Storm to help you out? The one alien you all fear is the one you need for help?" The Doctor smiles broadly, feeling rather amused at how weak and pathetic the Daleks have suddenly become. He is no longer afraid of their change in attitude but somewhat entertained. He stops walking to look at the eye of another Dalek. "I'm not falling for it."

"It is not a trick!"

"Not even if you _beg_. There's no way I will help you!"

A loud booming voice that echoes all around them is then heard. The Doctor jumps for it is a voice he has never heard before.

"There will be consequences, Doctor!" The voice booms.

All the Daleks start to chant in unison. "All hail the Dalek King! All hail the Dalek King!"

The Doctor turns around quickly, trying to observe the spaceship around them but this apparent Dalek King is nowhere to be seen. Only its voice can be heard.

"What could be worse than this situation now?" The Doctor shouts. "I'm stuck on your ship without my own!"

"They would have to die!" The voice of the Dalek King replies.

The Doctor pauses as he turns to look at Rose, Terry and April. The three people he wants to be kept safe at all cost.

"Yes, Doctor," The Dalek King continues. "Your precious companions whom you care for so much. They will be exterminated on the spot. And you will become a Dalek slave for the rest of eternity."

Terry takes a step forward. "We will not surrender! There's no way in hell we would ever help you," The Dalek's raise their guns to Terry but she does not flinch. "You may think that you can exterminate me right now but I know you are still scared. You're all scared of whatever is out there that's tracking you down," She turns to the Doctor. "Don't listen to them, Doctor! They won't kill us now because without us, they will stay hidden in fear!"

"She is smart." One Dalek says.

"Not smart enough to control the Doctor." Says another.

"Help us, Doctor!" The King Dalek pleads, yet its voice is flat. "You do this for us, you help us get away from the other creatures trying to knock us down; we will leave. We will never come back to you again. You will never hear of the Dalek race ever again, Doctor."

The Doctor remains silent as he breathes in and out deeply.

"War will be raging in the near future, Doctor. A war when _they_ will be killed. We can unite as one and stop it from ever happening," The Dalek King's voice grows ever louder when the Doctor does not reply. "How would you feel watching the woman you love die?!"

The Doctor looks at Rose briefly before sheepishly looking down at his feet. He then takes a step forward and looks upwards, addressing the Dalek King. "And can you promise me that we will be at peace forever once the mission is done?" The Doctor's voice is quiet, almost as if he is struggling to get his voice out.

"Yes." The Dalek King replies.

"And all we will do is to find the creatures that are chasing you, stop them and then it'll all be over?"

"I promise you, Doctor."

The Doctor ignores the movement between Rose and Terry he notices in the corner of his eye. "Why would you keep me as a slave if I declined the offer?"

But the Daleks don't have to answer his questions for him to understand as the answer comes to him immediately. As a slave they will use his regeneration energy to keep them alive forever and to the point where nothing would be able to destroy them.

"And can you promise me one last thing?" The Doctor asks. "While we do this, can you promise me that you would keep them safe? No matter what happens, my friends _will_ be safe."

"It's a deal, Doctor."

"No, Doctor, don't!" Terry shouts but Rose and April pull her back.

The three of them are not entirely sure what to think. Why is the Doctor on the brink of teaming up with his worst enemy? The enemy who have killed so many loved ones in the past before, including his own race? Rose holds back her tears yet a part of her understands. The Doctor will do anything to keep them safe. He would never put their life on the line when it comes to the Daleks and triggering their anger would definitely cause this.

There's a pause.

The pause feels like forever.

But everyone knows what the Doctor is going to say.

And either way, nothing is to be the same.

The Doctor breathes out heavily. "I will help you."

There is a loud sound as all Daleks start speaking at once, obviously happy that the Doctor has agreed to help them out and talking aloud about what is to be done now.

Holographic screens appear around the space, showing images of the Doctor looking glumly at his shoes and repeats of him saying that he will help them.

The Doctor can't move from his spot, too afraid to look at the disappointed faces of his friends. How will they forgive him for giving in to his enemy? How will he forgive himself? But he knows that it is the only way. It is the only way he can keep Rose, Terry and April out of harm's way. He will have to see the creatures that are after the Daleks and question them as to why they are. What will happen after that fears him the most as he has no idea what it is that is chasing them. For all he knows it might cause a war, just like the Dalek King has warned them.

The Doctor eventually approaches Rose, Terry and April. Neither say anything for a while. Rose looks somewhat sympathetic and almost understanding. On the other hand, Terry glares at him, clearly infuriated by this happening. April just looks disappointed. She looks as disappointed as she did when she found out by Aiden Haulman, the pub owner in Wales, that the Doctor had been searching for her all along, when he made her believe that their meeting was just coincidental. It hurts him to know that he has let her down again. It hurts him to know that he has let any of them down.

Rose takes hold of the Doctor's hand.

"It's okay," She whispers. "We can get through this."

The Doctor looks at Rose long and hard. "I just can't risk losing any of you," He says quietly. "I can't even bear the thought of it!"

As Rose pulls him into a tight embrace, April slowly turns to look behind, only to see that one of the Daleks is looking directly at her. April narrows her eyes as she turns her whole body to face it. A couple of bleeping sounds comes from the Dalek and then slowly, it starts to approach her. She suddenly recoils and bites her tongue, holding in the urge to scream.

Just as it approaches her, Terry turns to see the Dalek. She then sharply looks at April, obviously knowing what it is doing.

"Ice Girl," She hisses. "They know!"

April glares down at Terry who is a couple inches shorter than her. "How come I don't know? It's something to do with my prophecy which I have no idea what it reads."

Just as the Dalek is getting closer, there is a bang, almost like an explosion and everyone is thrown off their feet. Everything blacks out for a short while.

The Daleks become completely manic as they start speeding across the space, screaming out in fear. Some start to elevate up into the air but are only thrown back onto the ground as the ship shakes vigorously.

April feels the world around her spin and all that she can hear is the ringing in her ears. As she fell for the first time, she smacked her head on the black marble flooring. Her vision blurs but she can just about make out that the Daleks are moving around the space in an uncontrollable fashion, unlike the neat, military lines they were in moments before. Everything moves in slow motion.

Two hands grip hold of both her arms and she finds herself being hauled to her feet. Her head rushes as she stands up but her vision and her sound suddenly comes back into view. Rose pushes April backwards with fear in her eyes.

No one can hear each other over the loud explosions and the screams from the Daleks but they all know what is happening. They are under attack by the unknown creatures the Daleks fear.

April finds herself running along with Rose but they both fall flat on their faces. The ship starts tilting. April luckily manages to grab onto the rail to stop herself from falling down across the floor but Rose doesn't manage. April lets out a tiny yelp but she is too far away to help Rose.

Daleks start falling on their sides. The golden hemispheres on the base of their body crack and fall off some Daleks. Some even start to spin around in circles on the spot, yelling out in fright, almost as if they have become possessed. Rose crashes straight into the Doctor who holds her close to him. The ship starts rocking from side to side, throwing everyone off their balance. The Doctor tries his hardest to grip onto Rose's hand but the force of the ship rocking is too much, he can't hold her for any longer.

April manages to crawl her way around the circumference of the ship, being lucky enough not to get hit by any falling Daleks. However she only gets so far before she starts to feel that something isn't quite right. Before she knows it, she finds tiny blue specks that start to appear around her close to her skin. April curses under her breath and attempts to rub them away.

The blue specks around April start to grow. She panics before catching the Doctor's eye, looking at him helplessly before she suddenly vanishes from sight.

The rumbling of the ship continues on for a little while longer and then stops abruptly. The ship sits upright once again. One Dalek manages to say that the ship is invisible again and the enemy will not be able to find them for a little while.

The Doctor pushes himself up on his feet and stumbles a little as he observes the room. Terry is at one end, sneakily fitting one of the panels back into the wall without being seen. Rose is at the other end, gripping hold of a rail.

But April is nowhere to be seen. She has simply vanished into thin. The atmosphere around them is tense for the Daleks too have noticed April's absence.

The Daleks start to shriek in a panic, announcing that April is gone. They believe that _they_ , the creatures after them have taken her from them. She has been taken out of their territory. However the Doctor is not so sure that it was the creatures attacking them that have taken April, for he recognises the use of the transportation device. If she has been taken by the group he is thinking of, then they are in a lot more trouble than he thought for it is clearly impossible. They are dead. But those blue specks used in the transportation was used by this particular group.

The Dalek King's voice booms overhead. "Find her."


	4. III - Meeting the impossible

**III  
Meeting the impossible**

 _21_ _st_ _Century  
_ _Planet Earth  
_ _England  
_ _London  
_ _Wandsworth_

April finds herself lying on her stomach, her face in something that feels like snow. Soft snow but not cold. April remains lying in the snow, having no recollection of why she has ended up here. The last thing she remembers is walking back from the market towards the Tardis on planet Zorlon. She remembers walking in between the hills and they were just about to turn the corner. That is when her memory blanks out. She remembers nothing else.

Now she is lying in snow that feels like snow but strangely doesn't feel cold or wet like snow should be. All she can feel is a light breeze around her. Something is not right. April knows that she has to turn over and sit up sometime but she is afraid and confused. She is scared to turn over and fears whatever she might see.

April hates it when she is confused like this. Back at home, she was always the intelligent one in her classes at school and everyone at the observatory said that her intelligence exceeded many people's expectations. She had good, quick common knowledge and she seemed to understand the universe more than most. But as soon as she ran with the Doctor, it seems to her that she doesn't know the universe as much as she thought she did, or from what is seen on Earth. Travelling into space made everything a whole lot more complex. She understands and adapts to most things but how she managed to find herself lying on her stomach in snow without the Doctor or the Tardis or any memory of how worries her.

She has many different scenarios running through her mind and the first one is that the Flies have turned against them and have split them apart to different sections of the planet. Or maybe she is trapped in some dungeon and it isn't snow underneath her but blankets. Then if that is the situation, her problems are to save herself and reunite with the Doctor, Rose and Terry and then escape planet Zorlon. She honestly has no idea what has happened.

There is a big chunk missing from her memory. Something happened between walking away from the fly market to landing here and she does not know what it is. And unfortunately that can mean only one thing: danger.

The more she remains lying there, the more she notices how much her head hurts and all she can think of is that she must've hit her head when falling. Still there is no memory.

Using all the energy she can muster, April rolls onto her back and looks up at the sky. It is covered with a mixture of grey and white clouds and bits of blue sky peeks out through the gaps. She definitely is no longer on Zorlon. She clenches her both her fists, picking up a handful of snow and allows it to seep through her fingers. However it does not melt in her hand, nor does it freeze her fingers, it just merely blows away in the breeze like powder.

April then tilts her head upwards in an attempt to see how much she is able to see around her without standing up, but her head throbs as she moves. With her head upside down, looking behind, she recognises the scenery. The brick wall, the line of rubbish bins, the grass patch in the bend in the road which is cornered off by another house.

April turns her head to look to her left. The snow she is lying in is shallower to where it covers the grass, marking out the road. It then hits her where she is.

She is back in the cul-de-sac.

She is home.

Before she knows it, April jumps back onto her feet in fear and looks back at her house. It looks eerily quiet and dead inside. There seems to be no glass in the windows and it is just blackness inside. It then occurs to her that all the houses in the cul-de-sac look the same: dark on the inside and no glass in the windows.

April's head really starts to throb as she slowly raises her hand, feeling a bump that is growing quickly on her left side. She slowly turns, looking at the cul-de-sac around her, noticing how similar it is to her, yet it is so different at the same time. She is back home, but it feels far from home. Where is everyone? It feels like a ghost street.

She then stops dead in her tracks when she faces the opposite direction with her back to her house and the dustbins. Directly ahead of her is a long alleyway just between two of the houses. It is quite a narrow alleyway and is built up of the same light coloured bricks that the houses are made up of. Yet there seems to be no end to the alleyway, well an end could not be seen from where April is standing.

The scowl on April's face is more prominent to her as she stares down this alleyway. She can't understand why there is an alleyway here when before that gap was filled with the two houses joined together.

April slowly shakes her head as she tries to understand what the hell is going on. Why is there an alleyway when there never was one before? Surely if there was one, she would've known. She grew up in this cul-de-sac, how could she have missed it? She then starts to wonder how much time has passed since the Doctor pulled her through the dustbin. But nothing makes any sense and the more she thinks about it, the more her head pounds.

April has no idea on what she is supposed to do next. The cul-de-sac looks deserted as if all her neighbours packed their belongings and left without another word.

Yet before she can make another move, there is a voice not far to her left. It is a rather robotic voice and it is clear to April that it is no human.

"You have been chosen."

April looks to where the voice is coming from. She is only to find a tall steel man standing at the entrance to the cul-de-sac, looking straight at her with dead black eyes. The robot is of a silver colour yet the cheeks are a dark grey, almost black colour. There are two metal bars connected from the nape of its neck and across the front, attaching to a slit of a mouth, almost looking like a jaw brace. The steel man has two black eyes and a large 'C' is imprinted across its steel chest. The robot is too far away for April to analyse but she knows that it might possibly kill her if she doesn't make a move.

Her first instinct is to call out for the Doctor but it comes to her realisation that it will be no use seeing as she is out there on her own.

"What are you?" She calls.

"Cyberman." The steel man replies sternly as it starts to march towards her.

April hesitates for a split second before she makes a move to run. Suddenly someone grabs hold of her wrist and pulls her down the alleyway.

Without question, April allows this brunette woman to pull her down the alleyway, away from the cul-de-sac and away from the Cyberman. They run as fast as they can, hoping that the Cyberman isn't on their tail. The alleyway seems to grow darker and darker the further they go through.

It doesn't even occur to April who this woman may be. For all she knows, she might be as much threat as the Cyberman could be, yet the black military suit the woman wears somehow eases April's mind as they continue to sprint down the never ending alleyway. It is to their luck that the snow covered ground doesn't have any branches or stones to trip them over. Nor is the snow slippery. It is smooth and hard. Their feet do not seep through the snow. They run on it as if it is hard gravel.

Eventually the alleyway leads them out to another neighbourhood which April recognises as the one that is only a couple of roads away from her house. They slow their running pace to a slow walk. April, trying to catch her breath, follows the woman who is a little shorter than she is. They walk up a garden pathway, approaching one of the front doors to one of the houses.

"I think we've lost it," The woman speaks, catching her breath. "They only march, never run so it would take it a while to at least catch up with us."

April clutches onto her stomach, breathing hard. She desperately wants a glass of water as her throat is so dry. First she is running away with the Doctor and now she is running away with a stranger in a black military uniform. April takes a quick glance around the neighbourhood hoping that there are no more Cybermen to be seen. She is lucky at there is just the two of them here. She then looks back down at the woman who straightens her posture. The woman stares back at April.

"Do you know what the Cybermen are, do you?" The woman asks but April just shakes her head. "They're the future of the human race unless we can stop it."

 _We_. The word rings in April's ears. Does she mean the two of them or does she mean some team the woman has built up? Or does she mean the whole human race to stop the Cybermen? April understands that if the Cybermen seem to be the future of the human race, the world is in danger of being killed off by the steel men. This is definitely not the same world April left months ago.

April folds her arms. "Okay then," She says. "And who are you?"

"Sarah-Jane Smith. Journalist and Sergeant and ex-companion to the Doctor. The Doctor you're currently travelling with. We can discuss that inside," Sarah-Jane studies April's face. "The bigger question is what were you doing outside on your own? No one ever does that these days."

"Well I often find myself alone with no answer as to why. It just seems to happen often."

"April, isn't it?"

April nods.

"Think it's about time you should come in. We'll be safer for the time being."

April would have hesitated before following Sarah-Jane but the fact that she has travelled with the Doctor before states that she will be an ally. However she wonders why she no longer travels with him. April hesitates for a little too long, not sure who to trust. But following Sarah-Jane seems to be the safer option than staying outside on her own.

April follows Sarah-Jane through the front door to the house beside them. For a moment all they see is darkness as the door closes behind them. Then a light switches on and April finds herself not in a house but an elevator that starts to ascend.

The lift is of a semicircle shape with a white flooring covered in small black specks. The walls are of a grey colour and there are two thin, blue florescent light tubes that run across the latitude of the walls. In front of them is a black iron gate.

April knows that they are no longer in the house they first entered and recognises the trick the Doctor uses. The trick where he is able to return to the Tardis wherever it was, just by thinking of its destination and he would find himself there after taking one step. It was a trick he said he learnt from UNIT.

Sarah-Jane did say that she is a Sergeant.

April looks at Sarah-Jane's black military uniform and notices that the word 'UNIT' is sewn onto the shoulders of her jacket. As she examines her uniform, a memory suddenly flashes in her mind. She remembers the day of her thirteenth birthday, the day her parents were killed. Two officers knocked on the door to inform her of the news. They were wearing the exact same uniform that Sarah-Jane wears now. April narrows her eyes before returning her attention to the iron gate.

The Doctor said that UNIT died in battle.

The two remain silent, allowing the hum of the lift to fill the air. It then comes to an abrupt halt and Sarah-Jane pulls open the iron gates.

"Welcome to UNIT." She says as she steps out into the wide open space in front of her.

The first thing that comes to April's attention is the large UNIT logo which is carved into the wall, just below the ceiling at the far end of the large office. The logo is of Earth and on either side of it are two large yet sharp edged wings. Underneath the carving of the Earth just read U.N.I.T.

April steps out of the lift to survey her surroundings. The flooring is grey and the walls are of a dark colour yet there is a blue hue to the whole office. To her right are rows and rows of long desks filled with computers and many other different machines. Up against the wall at the end of the desks are many filing cabinets.

The UNIT office is buzzing with life as all the different members are sitting at their desks or walking around the base, filing papers or talking to the five members standing at the far end of the office, who look more like officers. Army officers. They are standing by a long desk up against the end wall and their focus seems to be on the large holographic screen above them, showing the body of a Cyberman. They are discussing it as April follows Sarah-Jane through the office, ignoring the curious glances of the other members.

"Well it's not the Doctor. We tried to transport him here," Sarah-Jane announces as they reach the other end of the office, grabbing hold of the Officers' attention. "But I believe we have his companion, April. And I fear she was on that spaceship seeing as that's where we picked up the Doctor's signals." Sarah-Jane salutes, which they all return, before standing at ease.

 _What spaceship?_ is the question that April silently asks herself but she remains quiet, aware of the officers watching her. She nervously tugs at her hoodie sleeves, pulling them over her hands. She looks so out of place in her hoodie and jeans among men and women all dressed in black military uniforms.

"It only takes one call to the Doctor and he will come." The eldest of the officers, who is slouched in one of the leather seats, says almost in an exasperated manner. He closes his eyes momentarily before glaring up at Sarah-Jane. One of his hands clasps around the top of a walking cane. April recognises one of the badges on his chest, revealing him as a Major.

"It was easier before," A female officer says. "It's the fact that we have no signal to reach him that's the problem."

April narrows her eyes as she quickly surveys the base. The Doctor spoke of UNIT a lot when she was with him, stating that they were good friends of him. The big problem is that they are all supposed to be dead. Their base was blown up and their systems had been shut down during the Battle of the Cytracik. The Doctor had lost his friends there. UNIT is a dead company.

Then why is April standing in the UNIT base with all its officers and other soldiers? Her hearing fuzzes out for a moment as she ignores the officer's talk among themselves. She feels even more frustrated at how much she doesn't understand what the hell is going on. The only possible explanation is that she has somehow travelled back in time to when they are still alive. But the reasoning behind the appearance of the alleyway back in the cul-de-sac still makes no sense.

Or the snow that does not feel like snow.

"Let me just get this straight," April starts, cutting across everyone. "This is the UNIT base? And you're all part of the military company? And you're good friends of the Doctor?"

 _Aren't you all supposed to be dead?_ The voice in April's head speaks to her.

The officer's don't answer but nod in response, exchanging wary glances between each other. She is aware that they probably think she is crazy but she does not care.

April rubs her head where it hurts and squeezes her eyes shut. She doesn't know if her head hurts from somehow bashing it or from the complexity of the whole situation.

"Sorry but what century are we in?"

There is a brief silence and she is suddenly met by a loud cackle coming from the Major. April starts to feel uneasy and finds herself recoiling into herself as she glances at one of the other officers, who looks rather sympathetic. A moment later the Major's cackle very quickly angers April and she glares at the old man slouched in the seat. She knows instantly that she does not like the Major.

"Is time travel getting a little too much for that head of yours?" The Major's tone is rude and spiteful and in an instant, April dislikes him more.

The officer who was looking at her sympathetically, jumps to her side, his black hair bouncing as he moves. He gives her a broad, friendly smile.

"We're still in the twenty-first century," the man says, his voice light and cheerful. "UNIT have been going on for a long while. Don't worry you haven't landed in your past or the future. Just in your present."

April hesitates as she looks at the man's medals on his uniform jacket. He is a Captain. "Didn't know you guys were still in business." She says after a while. She is in a different world. She knows it.

The Major cocks his head to one side. "And what business do you have with the Doctor, Miss?"

"April," she replies sharply. "And I just travel with him as a friend. Is that a problem to you?"

The Major raises an eyebrow and leans back into the seat. "Not at all."

Sarah-Jane steps closer to April. "Does he still have Rose and Terry with him?"

April nods.

There is a moment that passes before the cheerful officer jumps again.

"Well it'll be rude of us not to introduce us to our new visitor, seeing as she's here to help," He then shakes April's hand. "I'm Captain Jason Hoffman."

"Ignore the arsehole if he calls himself lucky just because he has not once been wounded once in battle, the lucky son of a bitch!" A voice calls from the distance which soon erupts into a warm laughter throughout the base.

April momentarily relaxes in the friendly atmosphere around her. There is a lot of warmth radiating off every soldier in the room. But she then quickly becomes tense again as Jason shows her to each and every member. He takes her to the black female who watches Jason as they approach. She salutes to him before shaking April's hand.

"Doctor Martha Jones," She says. "Pleasure to meet you, April. I've heard a lot from the Doctor about your wit and intelligence. I think we could use it around here."

Jason pulls April away. "Martha also used to travel with the Doctor." He then pulls her towards another woman who looks towards her late thirties. She has the same black hair as April's, only shorter as it rests on her shoulders. She is quite a short woman and smiles at April, warming her heart.

"This is Captain Ireen Summerland. You will learn that she's probably the feistiest one here. Only injured a couple of times in the same battle; one of them was a broken arm after she fell over a dead alien when ordering her squad to move out."

Ireen laughs not-so heartily as she glares at Jason. "And you'll find that Captain Hoffman is rather the joker of the team and isn't as funny as he thinks he is."

"But I am funny!" Jason protests but Ireen rolls her eyes.

"Ireen Summerland?" April asks, staring at the woman with warm curiosity.

"Yes?" Ireen smiles at April again.

"I met your cousin, Aiden Haulman," April says softly. "Stumbled across him in Wales."

Ireen laughs. "Of all places for him to go."

Jason then pulls April along to two tall men whispering to each other. They both stop and stare at April as Jason drags her over to them. The two men are around the same height, roughly about six foot. The man on the left has curly auburn hair and his long face is covered in freckles. There is a deep dimple in his left cheek as he smiles. This is Sergeant Rex Middleton. The man with Rex has blond hair perfectly trimmed. He towers over April like a giant with his broad, muscular figure. His strong hand grips onto hers as he shakes it firmly and a little too confidently for April's liking. Jason introduces him as Lieutenant William Sullivan, but everyone just calls him Will when not in order. He works in the military but is often helping out in the science department.

April starts to feel somewhat uncomfortable as she is aware of how Will gazes at her with his chestnut coloured eyes, and his slight smirk which cocks to one side, making him look proud and rather smug. The more April observes Will Sullivan, the more she notices that he has an arrogant vibe around him. A lot like some of the boys she used to know at school. Rex also seems to be watching her, but looking more curious rather than smug. She finds herself avoiding their gazes as Jason moves on to introduce her to the Major.

"Major Rodger Barratt," Jason says. "He's currently been put in charge as our Colonel is no longer with us."

It doesn't even occur to April to ask about their Colonel as Jason continues to pull her from one member to the next, introducing the Privates, Corporals, Lieutenants, Sergeants and Captains. They then return back to the desk and the main officers discuss the Cybermen.

"I believe you've seen one?" Martha asks as April reaches them.

April merely nods and mumbles something about seeing one out in the cul-de-sac but it is barely audible. She finds herself glancing around the base wishing that she could be back in the Tardis with the Doctor where she feels safest at most. Despite the friendly atmosphere at UNIT, April finds it hard to be surrounded by so many people at once and they all seem to expect so much from her when remembering about the last time she was with the Doctor.

After registering April's confused look as they talk about their last battle, Will takes a step forward towards her.

"United Nations Intelligent Taskforce," He says. "It's what UNIT stands for. As an army, we channel extraterrestrial life from other worlds that find their way to this world. We have never been able to gain peace with anything because so far everything that's come to this world has posed a threat to us, whether it's to destroy mankind, take over the world or even to remove us," Will shrugs his broad shoulders. "Seeing as you've been introduced to everyone here, I thought I might as well tell you what UNIT actually is."

April folds her arms. "And what about the army? Do you have one?" She shifts on the spot as she carefully chooses her words. Something tells her that she may not be in the same world she was brought up in.

"Yes we still have an army," Sarah-Jane replies. "They just fight against threats from terrorists and leave the extraterrestrial life to us."

There is a small moment of silence as if they all are hesitating to speak next. April opens her mouth to say something but closes it again, keeping her thoughts to herself.

It is obvious. From the solemn yet hard looks on their faces, it says that maybe UNIT isn't supposed to be in business. Yet April's questions are answered as Ireen speaks up, marching to one of the machine's on the desk.

"The government helped UNIT bring this company alive. Give it three generations and they start to threaten us to close UNIT down because they have come to the belief that it is our fault that we have had aliens come down to try and take over the world," Ireen lets out a loud laugh as she presses a few buttons on the keypad, changing the image on the holographic screen to different aerial views of London. "So far we've done nothing but protect the planet but the government think it's the army's job to do that, not UNIT's."

"How do you have a connection with the Doctor?" April asks.

"He helps us when in need," Jason says and then nudges April. "Like he probably did to you when you started travelling with him."

"Yeah and it's something I'll have to pay him back for." April says quietly, more to herself than anyone else. Jason's cheerful smile is the only thing that makes April feel safe there and believe that not everyone is as heartless as Major Rodger Barratt seems to be or as constantly smug as Lieutenant Will Sullivan. April looks to Sarah-Jane. "You said you used to travel with the Doctor."

"And so did Martha." Sarah-Jane replies and then nothing else is said on that subject.

Order is sent out to the crew to scan the city for Cybermen as one is spotted marching through Trafalgar Square. Their mission is to find where the Cybermen have come from because even though they have only seen one on its own, they know that there isn't just one Cyberman marching through London and there must be a hideout somewhere.

The life in the UNIT base buzzes even louder as officers and privates march around the office, taking notes, printing out paperwork and tapping away urgently at their computers. Orders are shouted left right and centre. Jason sits at one of the computers to help with the search. He lights a cigarette in his mouth and offers one to Will and then to April who declines. However this action is only followed by Major Rodger Barratt taking the cigarettes away from them immediately and stubbing them out in the ash tray on the desk. He takes the packet away and with a little difficulty, locks it up in his drawer.

"New rule," Major Rodger Baratt declares loudly, silencing the base. "From now on, cigarettes will be classed as contraband unless that particular UNIT member is relieved for their break."

This then causes an uproar.

"What's the matter with him?" April hears Will mumble to the others.

"Rodger's attitude has changed since the Colonel disappeared. It's almost as if he isn't the same person any more" Says Ireen in a hushed tone.

April listens to everything that is said, being reminded of how Bruce Fey changed drastically since the death of her parents. Martha stands up out of the little secret huddle they have formed and the groups of officers all turn to look at Major Rodger Barratt.

"Sir, are all personal items expected to be contraband?" Martha asks.

Major Rodger Barratt, who is back in his seat with his hand resting on top of his walking cane, does not look at them as he speaks but keeps his eyes closed. "You are all soldiers; I believe you have the strength to deal without personal possessions in times like this."

"But, sir." Martha protests but Major Rodger Barratt's eyes flicker open as he glares at her with burning eyes.

"That is an order, Doctor Jones!"

As Major Rodger Barratt shouts, the huddle disperse as they stand in a perfect line in front of him. April remains standing beside them, observing the scene but at the same time wishing that she is invisible. Major Rodger Barratt briefly closes his eyes almost in exasperation.

"I order you to get back to work." His voice is calm and collected but they know that in any minute he will burst. Yet no one moves.

"Major," Captain Ireen begins. "If I may say so, I believe that not long before the Colonel disappeared, you had signed to end your contract and begin your retirement. Forgive me, sir, but in the laws of the army, the Colonel is still in charge and we obey his orders," She pauses a moment. "There is still hope that he may return to us."

"Obviously that was not the best thing you could have said just now," Rodger Barratt mutters before staring at the soldiers before him. "What hope do you have in a Colonel that disappears with no note or of any trace that he ever existed? There are no files to prove that he was even alive. All that's been left is his C.O badge. He won't be back."

"What makes you so sure that he won't return?" Will asks sternly.

Major Rodger Barratt glares at Will. "And what makes you so sure that he will return?"

"All we're asking is for a little bit of cooperation, sir," Martha splutters. "Just like before," She then gestures to the holographic screen. "We have a Cyberman roaming around the midst of London, telling anyone it finds that they are chosen and we have no idea why. And then we have the government on our tail, making us believe that the whole world is against us! How the hell do we explain that our C.O is missing? And just to make it more interesting we've lost an alien spaceship!" Martha sighs, her face is hard with anger and stress. "You were with UNIT at the beginning, weren't you? It's only fair you show up for the end." Martha's voice becomes sharp.

"UNIT isn't ending," Major Rodger Barratt states with a loud, strong voice. "And as for the loss of the alien spaceship, why don't we ask the new one if she remembers where she was before she got here."

April's scowl deepens from anger at being titled as the "new one" by the Major, as well as the fact that UNIT has been clumsy enough to lose a spaceship. She thought better of them.

"I was on planet Zorlon with the Doctor." April says sternly.

"Not a spaceship, love?" Major Rodger Barratt raises an eyebrow. When April shakes her head, he sighs and mutters something under his breath which isn't exactly audible but audible enough for everyone else to understand that it is a running commentary about her being stupid, which doesn't exactly enlighten April's mood.

"And what do you expect me to do?" April hisses, leaving her arms folded. "Just sit here in hope for the Doctor to come and rescue me while you all struggle to find your Colonel, the lost spaceship _and_ the waltzing Cybermen?" She then narrows her eyes. "At least I know what I can do to help."

Major Rodger Barratt stares at her in response. "I am not asking for your help," he shuffles in his seat with effort, closing his eyes. "Finish your work. And that's an order."

Everyone starts to move out and continue where they had left off. April finds herself following Jason and Martha to their seats. They speak to her in a low voice, but also loud enough for some of the others to hear.

"From now on, April, you are under UNIT's protection," Ireen says. "You may not be an official member but you are one of us and it is our job to make sure that you are safe until we get through to the Doctor and find out where he's wondered off to. It is not often we just allow strangers into the company, but we desperately need help, no matter what the Major says. You have met the Doctor and travelled with him, that is enough for us."

April nods. For the short time April has been in the UNIT base, April starts to feel a little more welcome, and due to the mess they are in, she feels the need to help them. With or without the Doctor, she does not want to leave the city of London when there is a Cyberman walking around the city, a lost spaceship and a missing Colonel.

April still questions herself as to why she is there with UNIT when the Doctor says that they were killed during the Battle of the Cytacik. Everyone from UNIT was killed around the same time as her parents were. But that is a matter April knows that she will have to find out later as right now, all she wants to do was help them. It takes a lot for April to trust other people but because this company are, or were, friends of the Doctor and she remembers her parents mentioning them once or twice before, she knows she can trust them.

April looks at Ireen and suddenly she relaxes a little in her presence. She wonders if maybe the reason why they are being so welcome to April is not only because she knows the Doctor, but also because they know that she is Declan Hollerford's daughter.

Ireen passes April a badge. The badge is of a silver circle. There is an inner circle which is filled with little black dots in the centre. On the outer circle, U.N.I.T is engraved into it. It feels heavy in her hand but Ireen closes April's fingers around it.

"I'm not sure if the Doctor has given you a token or anything but this is our token to you. You are under our protection and even when we get back to the Doctor and you travel off with him, we'll always be here for you," Ireen smiles. "The Doctor said that he'll always be here for us when we need him, and we're here for you. UNIT never leaves their true allies."

That is when April notices the small model of the Tardis sitting on top of the filing cabinet by the fire exit. The look of the Tardis suddenly makes April feel homesick. She looks back at Ireen and whispers a thank you. Ireen smiles before squeezing her hand. April finds herself smiling weakly at the way Ireen squeezes her hand. Just how her mother used to do when trying to cheer her up.

Another officer, who April has forgotten his name, jumps in to say that training will start in the next week, which will be spread out in the following five weeks. The training will determine how each soldier has progressed within the past year.

"It will make a lot more sense when the training starts," Jason says to April. "It's just that you may have to participate if you want to help us out," He then smiles. "Guess you will be our newest soldier."

April's scowl returns at Jason's words. She is willing to help UNIT. She isn't sure that she has the mentality or the strength to even train as a soldier.

"Wait..." April begins but is then interrupted when there is a rattle and the sound of the lift rising. The sound is loud in April's ears but is actually heard distantly through the sounds of chatter and machinery, but no one seems to take any notice of the lift until it stops and the man inside the lift opens the gates and steps into the base.

Some people registers this man and salutes to him as he walks through the base towards the officers. His posture is tall and stern and he walks in the rigid way in which soldiers tend to walk. As he reaches them, they all jump to their feet and salute to their Commander.

April finds herself standing at attention but then suddenly feels sick to her stomach as she looks into the eyes of her father.


	5. IV - The Dalek's court

**IV  
The Dalek's court**

 _Space  
_ _Dalek spaceship_

The Doctor and Rose are ordered to stay in the waiting room as the Daleks, who are overcome with fear and anxiety from the attack, try to gather themselves together. The waiting room is a square shaped room with dark oak panelled walls. Oil lamps hang from the walls, only lighting the room dimly. The room seems too human for the Daleks to own, let alone build. Yet just standing in the, what looks like a human-made room, both the Doctor and Rose can still sense an essence of Dalek around them. And neither of them like what they see.

Rose walks around the room, running her fingers gingerly across the dustless walls. Everything is spotless and perfectly clean. It is too weird for Rose to understand. Everything about the Daleks has changed. They are scared to the point of begging the Doctor for help, and although she recognises the main room of the spaceship which they were in before, it doesn't quite make sense how the room she wonders around now is so human-like with the dark red carpet, the wooden coffee table and the cushioned sofas. Why do the Daleks even have sofas when they have the inability to sit down?

Rose pauses as she spots the large self-portrait of Davros, the creator of the Daleks. The painting is so large it covers the whole of one panelled section, nearly touching the floor and the ceiling. Davros over-looks the small room, his head held high and his metallic hands resting on top of his Dalek-base body.

Rose feels uncomfortable with the way he is always looking at her no matter what angle she looks at the painting. She shudders and quickly moves on to stand by the Doctor, who is looking up at a large dark green tapestry hanging up on the wall opposite the Davros painting.

The tapestry, sewn with gold embroidery, shows what looks like a large tree. It isn't until Rose comes closer to the tapestry that she realises it is a family tree. A Dalek family tree. Starting at the top with Davros, it goes down through hundreds of different Dalek generations.

The Doctor has one arm crossing his body and the other is bent at the elbow, his fingers resting on his cheek in a thoughtful manner. He examines the tapestry with his brow furrowed. Rose recognises this expression from seeing it many times before; he does not like what he is seeing.

"It all seems a little too human, doesn't it, Doctor?" Rose says as she shuffles on the spot.

The Doctor lets out a little sound which sounds like he is saying no. "I just don't understand this room at all. I mean, how did the Daleks even manage to get man-made furniture on their ship, because certainly a Dalek wouldn't even be caught dead working in a factory making sofas. And how did they even get hold of a tapestry with their family tree? Even, since when did the Daleks start making out that they are one big family? Where did all the emotion come from?" The Doctor lets out a loud exasperated sigh as he runs his fingers through his hair. He looks at the tapestry long and hard and Rose watches him as his body posture becomes less tense as he relaxes his shoulders, almost as if he starts to understand. He half turns to face Rose but continues to look at the tapestry.

"The Dalek culture has developed immensely since we last met them," He says somewhat grudgingly. "Over time they always upgraded their cult: changing their body, improving their weapons perfecting their image. They've always done that but now they've just developed a whole new way of thinking. As you understand, they also have a Dalek King whom they all praise. I think it was him that created their laws."

"Dalek's have laws?" Rose asks sceptically.

"It would seem so," The Doctor breathes. "Their laws would involve punishing those who broke their law, like in your world people would be locked up for a certain length of time for their crimes."

Rose frowns. "But that's not exactly fair though, is it, Doctor? I mean how can someone know that they're breaking the Dalek's law if they don't even know what their laws are? And besides, wouldn't the laws only occur to the Daleks not to the whole universe?"

The Doctor sighs deeply. "They must still be developing. According to them, even if something breaks their law without knowing what the law is, it still counts as an act of crime."

Rose glances at the tapestry. "And what's the crime here?"

"It's against the law for any of their possessions to be taken out of their territory without permission from authority."

"But April isn't their possession."

"She was still on their ship when she disappeared. I don't know how it happened, Rose. I recognise the transportation ways but that's clearly impossible. Either way, whatever was involved in it will be punished."

"And what's the punishment?"

The Doctor doesn't reply as he isn't too sure as to what it might be. All he can think about is that the Daleks have become more dangerous with the sudden wisdom they have developed. It will mean that they will be able to sense any cunning tricks that lay upon them.

"Whoever took April will not be a good friend to the Daleks." The Doctor mutters as he reaches out to touch the tapestry, resting his palm flat on the scratchy material.

"It could've been the creatures that are attacking them." Rose suggests.

"And that could be anything, Rose," The Doctor snaps unintentionally. "But I don't think it was those creatures."

"Who do you think it was?"

The Doctor does not reply. "The creatures attacking the Daleks, could be anything we know or don't know. And that's the thing that…." He stops.

"And that's what scares you." Rose finishes for him.

The Doctor stares at Rose for a little while as she slips her hand in his. The Doctor sighs and looks back at the tapestry.

"Something isn't quite right, Rose. I can't help but to feel as if we're somewhere we're not supposed to be, almost like we're crossing a dangerous and out-of-bounds boundary." It is clear that the Doctor misses his Tardis as he wrinkles his face in disgust. "And when did the Daleks even have families?"

There is a slight knock on the door and the Doctor and Rose spin around in an instant, only to find Terry standing in the doorway. The Doctor feels relieved to see Terry's emotionless face instead of being met by a Dalek. She has her mini handheld device clutched in one hand.

"They've more or less calmed down," Terry says flatly as she steps into the room, scanning the room with her quick, black eyes. "They've stopped their pathetic screaming and are coming to a conclusion for a council meeting about the disappearance of April. And speaking of April," Terry turns to stand in between the Doctor and Rose as she holds out her handheld device in front of her for both the Doctor and Rose to see. "I've tracked her down so I know of her whereabouts and we can easily get her back," She looks at the Doctor. "Although you're not going to like it, Doctor."

"Okay then." The Doctor extends his vowels as he speaks, mentally thanking Terry for attempting to boost his non-existent confidence on the matter.

Terry presses many different buttons on her device and then with a flick of her fingers, she brings up a large 3D holographic image of the universe that floats in the room before them. Another flick and the Earth appears at one end of the room. A final flick and the image of the Dalek spaceship appears at the other end.

"So we're a couple of light years away from Earth." The Doctor has his hands in his pockets as he walks over to the 3D image of Earth. It faults and fizzes a little when he gets too close.

"Exactly," Terry states, using a small metallic pen to point as she speaks. "April was only transported back to Earth. This movement from the ship to land back in the cul-de-sac where she lived would trigger a loss in memory, however. Her last memory would be of us walking away from the market on Zorlon. She will have no recollection of the Tardis going missing or meeting the Daleks. The only way for her to remember is if she sees an image of a Dalek," Terry sighs. "But slight plot twist because, Doctor, you know the only group of people who used a transportation method with this side effect." Terry flicks the pen and the whole image makes a three-sixty degree turn and the image looks very slightly different. There is a slight change to the way the Earth is sitting and the stars around it.

"What did you do?" The Doctor asks as he notices the difference in the Earth and its circling moon.

"She wasn't taken from this ship to the world she came from," Terry states almost as if it is obvious. "Doctor, she's been sent to a parallel world. One from her own. A parallel world where UNIT are still alive and are in business. The parallel world that you dropped both Martha Jones and Sarah-Jane Smith in during the Battle of the Cytracik, although they have no memory of that battle, again unless they see an image of it."

The Doctor's face is stern as he clenches his fists by his sides. So his suspicions are true. Only UNIT were the ones to use a transportation device like the one that took April. "How the bloody hell did she end up there?"

"I'm not sure for certain. I don't know if UNIT were planning on taking April. However that's the bit you're really not going to like." Terry moves across the room to stand by the hologram of the Dalek spaceship. She enlarges the hologram and removes the image of the Earth, allowing the Doctor to examine the image of the spaceship. He puts on his thick rimmed, black glasses and he circles it.

Rose also starts to examine the holographic image.

"Have you noticed it, Rose?" The Doctor asks faintly.

Rose looks around the image a little while longer and then notices how the hologram shows tiny little flecks outside the ships that moves inwards and outwards constantly.

"It's the void," She says. "The same void that circled around us after we accidentally travelled to the other parallel world," Rose then looks back at the holographic void. "Does that mean we're currently sitting in another parallel universe? A different one to where we've been to before?"

"Indeed."

"There must be thousands of parallel worlds." Rose mutters.

The Doctor then jumps, almost in excitement. "Then that must explain the strange human-like behaviour of the Daleks! They must be parallel Daleks to the ones we've met back in your world!" His excited face drops again as he examines the hologram of the large space around the ship. "Wait, that's impossible."

"I'm afraid it's true." Terry says with raised eyebrows.

Rose glances from Terry to the Doctor.

"But if we are sitting on the impossible line," The Doctor hesitates. "We're pulling apart the door between the two worlds. Your world and this world. The world with the Cytracik, and the world where UNIT are still alive. I thought that door closed after the Battle of the Cytracik?!" The Doctor shouts, now angry as he paces the room.

"Just to make it worse," Terry says, watching the Doctor cautiously. "April's parents are still alive in this world."

The Doctor stops dead and stares at Terry. He holds onto his breath, dread streaming through him.

"Where are we?" Rose asks.

"Sitting right in the doorway between our world and this parallel world," Terry answers. "In fact the door is impossible to cross but Colonel Brimikawood managed to create it to allow the Doctor to send Martha and Sarah-Jane to another, safer world. The Colonel then closed it during the battle before UNIT were all killed off."

"So how did the Daleks end up here?"

Terry sighs. "It's clear that whatever is chasing the Daleks is something from the parallel world which April is in now. But it doesn't matter which world these Daleks came from because they're always going to be the same either way."

"These Daleks must've come from our world and tried to break through." The Doctor says.

"Then that would explain why they're being chased," Rose offers. "Perhaps these other aliens don't like new aliens coming in from other parallel worlds and decided to attack the Daleks to scare them off."

"Then they got scared and found themselves parked in not our world, not the parallel world but in between."

Rose frowns. "But why were the Daleks trying to get to this parallel world?"

"A parallel world where Declan and Suzette Hollerford are still alive. You'll understand that those fighting to own the Cytracik will literally to anything for it."

"But they're not going to be the same as how April's real parents were," Rose says. "You told me yourself when I met my parallel parents."

Silence follows and the three of them wonder if their situation could get any worse. They are sitting in the centre of a parallel doorway. A doorway that should've never been crossed in the first place. The Doctor has teamed up with the Daleks. And April has been transported to a parallel world.

"You've got a funny way of keeping people safe, Doctor," Terry says in a rude manner. "You send Martha and Sarah-Jane to a world, crossing a doorway that should have never been crossed before. And you team up with your greatest enemy."

"It was both Colonel Brimikawood's choice as well as mine." The Doctor mutters but chooses to say nothing more about it, understanding her anger towards him.

There is a long pause of silence as the three think about their situation.

"Do you know where April is?" The Doctor asks, keeping his voice low.

"She's currently staying with UNIT who despite being parallel, are the same, if not the real versions of your friends," Terry says. "And they've sworn to take care of her for you," Terry then frowns as she taps keys on her device to change the holographic image. "The only difference is that there doesn't seem to be any sign of Colonel Brimikawood. And Major Rodger Barratt is still working there. He's in charge."

The image changes to the view of the snow covered cul-de-sac in London. April is lying on her front. The Doctor stands close to the screen as he watches the video of April gaining consciousness, getting back on her feet and noticing something in the distance. The video loops back to the beginning just as Sarah-Jane runs out from the alleyway.

"It looks so strange," Rose mutters as she shakes her head. "It never snows in London."

"It's not snow," Terry answers. "It's their version of gravel."

The Doctor narrows his eyes, looking at the human figure April sees in the distance. He asks Terry to zoom into the figure. She does so but they all remain silent as they find a Cyberman. Nothing has changed from its appearance as it looks the same as before. The only thing different is the three cage-like metal bars around its face shaped like a jaw brace. The whole of its head is made up of black wired tubes which are then hidden under its steel armoured suit around its neck and body. There are two more metal bars attached to the jaw brace and connects to a lamp at the top of its head.

The Doctor's eyes fixes on the image of the Cyberman before he walks straight through the holographic screen, making it fuzz and completely disappear. "We're going to have to go to that world," He says, turning back to face Rose and Terry. "As much as I really don't want to but I don't want to destroy both of these parallel worlds because we have been sitting in the middle. We need to go to that Earth and get April out of there!"

"Doctor," Rose starts. "That may be an easy thing to do and just pretend that none of this ever happened, but you've made a deal with the Daleks and they're expecting a lot from you. I've never seen a Dalek have so much hope in terms of safety, especially from someone they have always feared. Almost like a real human emotion. And we all fear that the Daleks have been travelling to this world for the Cytracik and ended up being chased by something else," She then pauses. "And I know we should never jump back and forth from parallel world to parallel world because it's dangerous and can destroy all universes. But aren't you at least in the slightest bit curious to see UNIT again?" Rose takes a step towards him. "They were your closest friends and you lost all of them in the battle. Is there some part of you that wants to see them again? Even if it's to hear one of Captain Hoffman's jokes, or to hear the regular buzz of machinery in the base or to even have a cup of tea made by Ireen?"

The Doctor smiles at the memory of his friends and wants so desperately to see them again. But it is wrong. They shouldn't see them because in their world they are dead. It is impossible to have the same human being alive in both parallel worlds.

"UNIT are back. Isn't that great?"

The Doctor smiles for what feels like the first time in a while. "Yeah." He beams.

"Council meeting is in order!" The three suddenly jump at the sound of the Dalek that stands in the doorway. It says nothing else as it remains there staring at them. It only fears the Doctor to think how long the Dalek has been there and if it has heard anything from their conversation.

The Doctor glances at Rose and Terry and then back to the Dalek.

"Show us the way." He says.

The Dalek turns on the spot and starts to escort them back down the circular corridor, across the main room and through another corridor at the far end. They walk down the corridor for a while and eventually find themselves travelling downwards at a slight tilt. the further they go down; the darker it gets. It becomes so dark to the point where they can see nothing but blackness. All they can hear is their own footsteps stepping on the marble flooring and the gliding of the Dalek.

After a while, the Doctor accidentally smacks straight into the back of the Dalek, not realising that it has stopped at the end of the tunnel. But the Dalek doesn't move or say anything, almost as if it doesn't care or perhaps didn't realise that the Doctor has just bashed into it.

There is a deep hollow clicking sound followed by a high pitched sound as if someone is turning a key in a lock. Two bleeping sounds are heard and then there is a loud bang which echoes down the rounded corridor. Then an iron door slowly swings open and they are all hit by the bright light and the sound of Dalek voices all chanting the same thing at the same time.

The Dalek moves forward, leading them through the doorway and into a very large courtroom.

The view is very overwhelming as there are hundreds of thousands of gold Daleks sitting in rows upon rows in a large semi-circle that goes higher and higher. Standing in the centre of the courtroom are six different coloured Daleks: yellow, white, blue, red, orange and one that is a mix of blue and gold. They represent the hierarchy of the Dalek cult and all six of them have their eyes fixed on the Doctor as he steps down the marble steps.

While moving forward into the courtroom, Rose looks behind to see even more gold Daleks sitting in the rafters around the doorway they have just entered through.

To their right, where the semi-circle stops at both ends, is the large, larger than ever seen before, Dalek. The Dalek King.

The Dalek King is of a black colour and towers over the whole echoing courtroom. Its eye moves silently as it observes its race of Daleks, as well as the human, the cyborg and the Time Lord who will help them. The body of the Dalek King is open at its neck bin and shoulder cage, revealing the larger, slimy mutant inside. However, long silver tubes spurt out from the mutant and attached to the wall behind.

The Doctor tries his best not to look disgusted at the sight of the Dalek King, as he is led to the middle circle of the courtroom. He is ordered to sit in the three chairs which have been placed out for them. He takes a look at his surroundings before sitting in the middle wooden chair, Rose and Terry sitting at both his sides.

As he sits, the courtroom falls silent. And the Dalek council meeting begins.

"Dalek supreme, Dalek justice, Dalek power and Dalek left wing. We call upon all four sections of the Dalek cult to hear upon the changes to our laws. Certain changes that will build and rise our generation to the maximum power!" The Dalek King's voice booms loudly, almost deafening across the room and every Dalek falls silent to listen to their King.

The Doctor strums his fingers on the wooden arm of his chair impatiently.

"We have been strong," The Dalek King continues. "We have held onto our strength through this whole time we've been hidden from the enemy, but this one sided battle has only made us stronger and more determined to get what we've always wanted: a takeover!"

"A takeover of what?" The Doctor suddenly asks, jumping out of his seat which automatically ceases the cheer from the crowd that erupted at the end of nearly every sentence of the King's speech.

"Takeover of power," The yellow Dalek replies. "It's our turn to destroy the enemy! We will win this battle!"

"What battle is this? You being chased by some other species?"

"The Battle of the Cytracik! Doctor, you should know."

"Was that part of our deal?" The Doctor frowns. "You want me to help you destroy what is scaring you, not take part in that battle. I thought I made me views very clear."

"The Doctor has already agreed to help us." The green Dalek says.

"The Doctor will sit back down!" The Dalek King roars and the Doctor does what he is told, cautiously. The chair creaks loudly as he sits back in it. There is a little rumble between the Daleks before the Dalek King continues to speak.

"As we are all aware, something was taken away from us. Something has stolen the Ice Girl out of our territory!"

"The Ice Girl must be returned! The Ice Girl must be returned!" All the Dalek's chorus together.

"And then this will involve a slight change to our law."

The red Dalek moves forward so it is sitting in the middle. "The law of justice states that when an item of our possession is taken out of our territory without a Dalek's consent, the taker will therefore be captured and turned into a Dalek." The Dalek's voice is so flat it is as if the Dalek is reciting something it has repeated far too often.

"And what's the change?" The Doctor asks, tilting his head to one side.

The red Dalek's voice changes to more of a stronger tone, holding its authority. "The law of justice now states that when an item of our possession is taken out of our territory without a Dalek's consent, the taker will therefore be captured _and_ tortured to death before being forced back alive again and turned into a Dalek, still alive."

There is another rumble amongst the Daleks, all whom seem to agree with the idea.

Terry, Rose and the Doctor are appalled.

"Tell me," The Doctor shifts in the seat, trying not to stand up again. "What difference would this make to the law?"

"We need a tougher army. An army with no emotion. A creature that is put though enough torture to the brink of feeling no other emotion other than anger and revenge."

"This wasn't part of our deal!" The Doctor snaps. "You said we will be at peace once this is over and you guaranteed the safety of my friends!"

"And we _will_ be at peace, Doctor," The Dalek King booms. "It does not mean we cannot attack any other planets."

Rose clears her throat. "But what happens if April Hollerford was not taken away from you?" She says, silencing the third rumble of Dalek voices. She is suddenly aware of the hundreds of thousands of Daleks watching her, including the coloured hierarchy and the Dalek King. She clears her throat once more, nervously. "What would you do if it was April herself that triggered her disappearance? As if she ran away from your ship." Rose does this in a way to perhaps not highlight the fact that UNIT transported her away from the ship. However, she regrets it the moment she says it.

There is a moment of silence which is then followed by an uproar as the Daleks start shouting down at Rose. The idea of April making herself disappear angers the Daleks, clearly stating her as their enemy. Rose recoils in her seat, wishing she had said nothing at all.

"The yellow one will hold her tongue!" The blue and gold Dalek orders.

Terry watches all the Daleks as they shout in a panic. Although the Daleks are showing decorum to the hierarchy and their King, they don't seem to be so strong on holding in their emotions. The outburst of anger and the cheers from the King's voice seem so naïve, almost as if they struggle to contain their inner thoughts. She also notes how hypocritical it is of the Daleks to want an emotionless army yet are unable to contain their own emotions. Terry shakes her head and finds the whole scene around her rather amusing.

Their emotion is going to be their downfall. She knows it.

"But what happens if it was the Ice Girl that ran away from us?" One Dalek asks.

"How would that fit into the law?" Pipes up another.

"Quiet!" The Dalek King shouts. The room falls dead silent. "To come to a conclusion, April Hollerford is an enemy to the Daleks. Sergeant, this is your call."

All eyes fall onto the red Dalek.

"As a matter for the law, once caught, April Hollerford will be tortured, killed and the brought back to life to be turned into a Dalek. Does the Doctor agree?"

"That was not part of our deal!" The Doctor hisses. "You promised her safety!"

"Does the Doctor agree?" The red Dalek shouts.

The Doctor stares at the red Dalek for a long time, his mouth open agape as he chooses his words carefully. Yet it takes him no time at all to make his mind up.

His voice is low as he speaks. "You can do anything but torture her, or turn her into a Dalek." The Doctor bows his head in shame as Rose lets out a little gasp.

"April Hollerford and anything else that helped her transportation will be exterminated on the spot without further ado. Does the Doctor agree?"

The Doctor hesitates for a long while before letting out a loud deflated sigh. He has lost the game. "Yes." He agrees.

"Say it." The red Dalek demands.

"April Hollerford and anything that helped her will be exterminated without further ado."

"It's a law." The Dalek King bellows and the council meeting is at an end.


	6. V - UNIT

**V  
UNIT**

 _21_ _st_ _Century  
_ _Parallel Earth  
_ _Parallel England  
_ _Parallel London  
_ _U.N.I.T Base_

The voices in the UNIT base buzz around April as she sits in Jason's office chair, watching her father who stands at the other end of the desk, talking among the other officers. After watching her farther step out of the lift and stride across the base, walking in his upright, military posture, April instantly recognises the fact that she must be in a parallel world. Her father is too different from how she remembers him. He never used to walk with confidence and with hierarchy. Yet after saluting and shaking hands with his co-workers, the warm smile and glistening eyes brings childhood memories back to April. She stumbles a little and forces herself to sit in Jason's seat, wondering if he might approach her.

Will he know who she is? Will he recognise her?

But no, he has no clue as to who she is. And that's what hurts April the most.

He is informed by Major Rodger Barratt that she travels in time with the Doctor. Declan Hollerford, her father, nods at this and merely stares at April with suspicion as he looks at her all over. He stares for what seems like forever. His brow furrowed together just like it always used to do when he was concentrating as he created his inventions. It is too similar to April's natural, constant scowl.

April doesn't know whether she should salute to her father seeing as he is the Commander, or to shake his hand, when Major Rodger Barratt introduces him to her. But then before she can make her mind up, Declan takes her hand and shakes it firmly for a little too long as he studies her face. His grip is a little too firm. In April's mind, April begs for him to recognise her.

As they are introduced, this parallel world makes more sense to April. Everything is the opposite to her world: UNIT are alive there when they are dead in her world and her father who works so hard at his inventions but never worked out, are now useful in this world. Her father in this world is successful and has the life he always dreamed of in her world. He is the Commander of UNIT; he is rich; he is famous for his inventions and he lives in his dream house. Probably. She is only assuming this.

April forces herself to smile as she blinks back the tears and resists the urge to scream out to him that she is his parallel daughter. But the Doctor's voice rings in her mind as she can quite easily imagine the Doctor giving her a lecture at how he must never know who she is.

April has only ever heard of parallel worlds in Hollywood films or science-fiction novels. It is even bizarre for her to think that she has found herself in one and that they do exist.

Declan then returns the smile, identical to her own and eventually releases his grip on her hand. "You'll do." He says before moving away.

An hour later and April is running the scene over and over in her mind. Seeing her parallel father walk into the base and then being introduced to him. His long stares, almost as if he recognised her yet very suspiciously. He never said anything else to her other than that he wishes her a warm and welcome stay. And that she'll do. What did he mean by that? This aggravates April ever so slightly.

Swinging side to side in Jason's swivel chair, April watches the UNIT soldiers continue with their work and research while they socialise with one another. UNIT seem to have a very friendly and welcoming atmosphere where everyone gets on well with one another and they have all seemed so welcoming to April. They are tied together by this job like a family. She realises that this friendly atmosphere is probably why the Doctor was such close friends to them.

And yet she feels like such an outsider. This is meant to be a dead company. And she is not even of this world.

"Thought this would might as well cheer you up."

April jumps at Ireen's voice. Ireen stands next to April as she passes her a very large mug of hot tea. April takes it gratefully and clasps the mug in both her hands, muttering a thanks. Ireen leans against the desk near April.

"Don't worry yourself silly too much about this," Ireen says, gesturing around the base. "I guess it all seems a little too bizarre to you right now but it'll all come together in the end. The Doctor will know of your disappearance and will come to find you soon enough. It always is us he turns to first."

April blows on her tea as she listens to Ireen talk. She goes to take a sip of the tea but it is still a little too hot, burning her lips. Yet although hot, the herbal tea runs down her throat and starts to ease her mind. She lets out a little sigh as she relaxes her shoulders. Ireen notices and smiles at this.

"The Doctor used to talk about you a lot," April mentions. "He used to talk about the adventures you had together and how good friends you were to him."

" _Are_ ," Ireen corrects. "Not dead yet," She laughs but instantly her words gives April the shivers. "We're still friends, although it's been a long while since we've heard from him and we're unable to get through to him." Ireen shuffles on the edge of the desk before drinking from her own mug of tea.

April's scowl increases as she rests the mug to her lips, trying to pick her words carefully. She admits to herself that she likes UNIT quite a lot. A hell of a lot more than she thought she would. They are friends of the Doctor and she knows that she can trust them if the Doctor does. Yet she knows better than to always trust the Doctor's judgements. And despite liking UNIT, she is is quite frankly somewhat disappointed with them too.

"Don't take this personally," April starts. "You all seem intelligent and know what you're doing but I just wonder if it's a habit of the company to lose a spaceship," April doesn't wait for a reply from Ireen as she carries on. "And is it often that your Colonel magically disappears for some unknown reason, resulting in you becoming so careless?"

April and Ireen stare at each other for a while. Ireen doesn't reply but looks at April as if wanting her to go on further.

"I mean if you were the ones who were chasing the spaceship and then lost it, then I wouldn't blame you. But if it was the Cybermen's spaceship that you had lost then that's just stupid and careless."

Ireen's reaction isn't quite how April expects it.

Ireen throws her head backwards as she lets out a loud laugh, nearly spilling her tea over herself. April stares at Ireen for a moment before self-consciously glancing around the base. A couple of heads turn in their direction but that is it. Ireen laughs for a little while longer as she holds onto her stomach. April's comment has clearly entertained her.

"I like you, April," Ireen says once she stops laughing. "And I'm sure Colonel Brimikawood would enjoy working alongside you too when he comes back."

April snorts. "You're certain he will?"

"We only work with the best, and the Colonel is the best. He wouldn't let us down." Ireen watches April for a moment. "To answer your question, the spaceship isn't the Cybermen's ship. It's another make. We received readings from a ship that was sitting across an impossible boundary in space, and once we started scanning it, we found that it was an alien spaceship not from this world," Ireen sighs. "Then we got emails from the government, giving us warnings and a date for an inspection to judge whether or not we should still be in business. That was a distraction and a day later the ship was no longer there. It disappeared just like that."

"What impossible boundary was it?" April asks.

Ireen glances cautiously over to Rodger Barratt who is standing with William Sullivan and a two other male officers April cannot remember the names of. "It's a doorway in space and time. One that separates two different parallel universes from the other. If we travelled through that doorway then we would find a parallel world to this. However doing that will just create a massive gap in the universe and probably destroy everything in the process. We're just trying to find ways to close that gap, but that spaceship we found was sitting right in the middle of that doorway. But now we're lost the spaceship, we've lost readings on where the doorway is too."

April nods as she sips more of the tea.

Ireen crosses her toned arms and watches April, being somewhat intrigued by her.

"Answer me this," Ireen says. "Which one of these soldiers would you feel more comfortable going into battle with?"

April looks at Ireen. "Is that really a serious question?" For a brief moment she feels amused but then quickly realises that Ireen is serious about her question. April then looks over to her choice of soldiers. "I haven't even known you for twenty four hours yet."

"And what's your answer?"

"I'm not exactly overwhelmed by the choices I have." April says indifferently.

Ireen looks at the floor thinking about April's answer and smiles in amusement before pushing away from the desk. "We're not all monsters," She says. "I was intimidated when I first started seventeen years ago, but we train for this role. We joined UNIT because we wanted to be the best and work with the best. None of these soldiers will let me down in combat. I trust them with my life. This is our life and we take care of it as much as the Doctor takes care of his Tardis," She sighs and smiles weakly. "I'm sure my husband, Harry, would be amused to meet you, April, You're more than welcome to stay over anytime. How old are you anyway?"

April shrugs. "Eighteen, going on nineteen."

"You're definitely eligible to be a soldier to here. I feel like you would be good for us. If only you let us." Then with that, Ireen gives April one fleeting smile before she turns and walks away from April to join other officers to discuss business.

April sighs as she places her empty mug onto a coaster which is already covered in tea and coffee stains. Just as soon and she puts it down, however, she is interrupted by someone close by, clearing their throat. April is aware of Lieutenant William Sullivan standing near her and towering over her with his broad, muscular shape.

April doesn't even look at him as she speaks. "I get rid of one to only be interrupted by another." April says it quite flatly but can't tell herself if she is joking or being serious.

Will laughs at her remark. "Mind if I join you?"

April turns her head to meet his gaze. "As a Lieutenant, do you really think you need permission from an un-ranked, not even a soldier of UNIT, to sit down in your own office?"

Will smirks as he brings out another wheelie chair from under the desk and sits opposite her. Will and April stare at each other for a while, studying each other's faces. April takes note of his neat blond hair, shaved against the sides of his head but gelled upwards at the top. The top of his hair is perfectly flat and neat, the classic army style trim. She also takes note of the half-smirk he holds on his face and it irritates her. Her parents always taught her to stay clear of arrogant people. Arrogance was her father's bug bear and she wonders if that is the same with her parallel father.

April is then suddenly reminded of a life lesson she had from her father. He had given her a prep-talk the day before she started secondary school. Before her mother had a quick talk to her about hormones and puberty and things she must be wary of, her father warned her of people she would meet at school and that she should never give in to bullies. He told her that people who are arrogant only showcased their vulnerabilities, and that makes her wonder if that is who William Sullivan is. She wonders what he has to cover up and why is it arrogance he turns to, but she also remembers the Doctor telling her to never reveal her true identity.

But then again, she wonders if she is thinking too much into the man just by his looks and that he probably is very arrogant without covering anything up. Each soldier in UNIT seems very characteristic in their own way.

"Any idea on how long you'll be with us?" He asks.

"No," April replies gruffly as she crosses her arms. "And I hope it's not too long."

Will whistles. "We're not giving you a good first impression, are we?"

"Well you've lost an alien spaceship. You're Colonel has wondered off somewhere. And your Major hates me. It's always a great start."

"We're good soldiers and we know what we're doing."

"I never said you weren't."

"You've just picked us apart."

"Only recent mistakes." April feels a little guilty, seeing how kind Ireen and Jason have been towards her, but a part of her just wants Will to leave her alone.

Will raises an eyebrow. "Are you usually like this?"

"Like what?"

"So judgemental?"

"I'm not judgemental!" April hisses but as soon as she said it, she is suddenly aware at how judgemental she really is. She is sat there judging Will's personality by his looks; she was judging UNIT on their ability to lose a spaceship. "Are you always so cocky?"

"It's hard not to be with looks like mine. Clearly I'm not fooling you." From the tone of his voice, April can tell that Will is only teasing her.

"And should I?" April snorts. "You must be so proud of your chiselled looks, Lieutenant."

"And shouldn't I? My mother is beautiful."

"And so was mine." April cuts across him glumly.

"Does she have that same scowl as yours?" Will is clearly amused by their conversation but April glares at him in disbelief.

"I thought I would be entertained by people like you but clearly you proved me wrong."

Will laughs again. "Would you prefer to hit me then?"

"To rid that pretty face then yes!"

Will points at her and smiles broadly. "Aha! At least you admit my good looks. Is this how you flirt? Playing hard to get? Pretending you really don't like me while secretly hoping I will chase after you."

"No I'm playing hard to get so you can leave me alone," April bites her tongue momentarily, somewhat amused at this conversation and not sure if Will is being serious or just taking the piss. "Haven't you ever been taught that modesty is more of an attractive trait?"

Will exhales heavily. "Modesty only come from those who are unattractive."

April raises her eyebrows in disbelief, her mouth open slightly but she finds herself laughing a little. Surely he can't be serious?

"You're an arsehole." She breathes. "And rude and I'd rather not spend any more time with you."

Will laughs once more but this time for longer. When he stops he looks at April with his cocky half-smirk. "If one perceives someone from their looks and their first impressions, they would perceive the whole world as the same."

April considers his words for a moment. "Yes and the first impression can determine whether or not one would like to continue their acquaintance with said person. So goodbye, Lieutenant. I need to find my way back to the Doctor."

"You'll realise that we're going to be the best thing in your life."

"Well won't that be a revelation." April rolls her eyes.

Will, who is leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees, looks down at his hands. April looks at them too and wonders why he starts to nervously wring them. She also notices how dry is hands are and that they are covered in calluses.

"Why do you remind me of the Doctor?" April mutters to herself not intending Will to hear her but he does.

Will recoils evidently at her judgement. "I'll have you know that the Doctor and I are different in so many ways."

"Yes and he has a better attitude then you do. And he can handle first impressions better too, but he can also be very arrogant."

"Do you judge everyone you meet as arrogant?"

April narrows her eyes as she brings her feet up onto the chair. "It would seem so." She mutters.

"I like you." Will says, smirking.

"Now that is a revelation."

"There's a bar just around the corner from here if you want to go with me sometime?"

April inwardly groans with awkwardness. "You've got to be kidding me."

"What?" Will asks, his smirk still planted on his face.

"Do you ask that to every girl before bringing her home?"

"Oh here we go. I'm arrogant and a sleaze." A hint of anger flitters across his face.

"Isn't that what you're asking me for?" April says. "Let's get drunk and have a quick shag."

Will's arrogance disappears and instead he just looks angry and fed up. "No it was a genuine question to see you outside of work. But with that attitude then perhaps not. Can't say I didn't try. I'm arrogant but you're just cold-hearted."

Will stands up and before April has the chance to feel guilty at being so harsh, Will bumps into Major Rodger Barratt. He leans heavily on his walking cane which he clearly does not need.

Will salutes and April slowly pushes herself out of her seat to stand by Will.

The Major stops and observes the two of them standing side-by-side, before he locks his eyes on April. Standing behind the Major is Martha, Sarah-Jane, Jason, Rex, Ireen and a few more officers. Nothing is said and April keeps eye contact with the Major before breaking away to look to the ground.

Moments of silence pass and April knows that Major Rodger Barratt is waiting for her to salute him but April stubbornly just stands there. It isn't until Will lightly nudges her that she groans and reluctantly salutes.

"Not exactly fond of saluting someone I don't particularly like." She mutters to Will.

"Nice judgement." Will replies harshly.

"You are under our protection and our rules, April..." Rodger Barratt narrows his eyes. "I don't think I ever caught your surname."

"That's because I never threw it." April says sternly.

There is silence. Jason and a few other soldiers stand there, trying their best not to laugh out loud.

"You salute to your officers," Rodger Barratt growls before looking over at Will. "At ease, Sullivan."

Will stands with legs slightly apart and his hands behind his back. April drops her hand to her side.

"As you know, Lieutenant, you will be relieved for a two day break over the weekend before we start training at the start of next week. The training program will test your ability in all physical and mental aspects to the human mind and see if you have improved this past year. You will be judged at the end of the five week period and like every year, it will determine whether or not you are fit for a promotion," Major Rodger Barratt takes a step forward and straightens Will's tie which is already perfectly straight. "And I believe I promoted you to Lieutenant last year after a very impressive performance," He is rough with straightening Will's tie, almost shaking him out of his position. "Don't let me down this year, Sullivan."

"I won't, sir." Will replies sternly as he keeps his focus over the Major's head who is a fair few inches smaller than him.

The Major looks at Will and smirks, the wrinkles around his eyes and mouth deepening. "I'm sure the Colonel would be _very_ proud of you. Such a dead shame he isn't here."

As the Major pulls away from Will, April notices the way Will has clenched his jaw and his shoulders are tense. The mention of the Colonel not being there with them has obviously struck a core in Will's mind yet he tries his hardest to not show any emotion. April looks away.

Everyone in the base are up on their feet listening to Major Rodger Barratt as he announces the news for the training weeks and how he and Commander Declan Hollerford have come to an agreement about some rule changes to training. They are reminded about how their marks from this past year will be compared to the marks from the year before which will set an average score to see if there is any improvement. The only drastic change is that they have come to the conclusion that UNIT are not being worked hard enough. Now that they have sighted a Cyberman roaming around London, they could be under a threat in the near future and even if they are not, they need to be prepared in any case. Rodger Barratt says that training will be harder than it has ever been before as it will test each and every member to their limits.

"Your fears will be provoked," Major Rodger says. "You will be trained to face them and overcome the fear," Rodger Barratt then turns to face April. "You will not be part of UNIT seeing as you are lacking in years of training and qualifications, but you will have to take part of our battle training. Will you fight?"

The room falls silent as everyone awaits April's response. A part of her doesn't want to fight. She doesn't want to be programmed into some fighting machine. But she knows that in most circumstances, it might be wise to have the strength to fight when with the Doctor. Strength is something she didn't have as they hid under the church in Wales.

April then quickly remembers the old lady who took her tarot readings and for a brief moment she is sure she remembers the woman saying something along the lines of her being a natural born fighter. Change is needed.

April takes in a sharp breath. "It looks like I don't have much of an option."

And her response seems to please all UNIT soldiers. They come up to her, shake her hand and welcome her properly to UNIT.

Night falls and it doesn't even occur to April that she is going to be there long enough to even find a place to sleep. Not that she even wants to sleep for the night; her mind is plagued with the fear that her nightmare may change into something parallel.

The majority of the members are relieved from duty late at night and although Ireen offers April to stay in the spare bedroom at her house, Rodger Barratt insists that April is to be given one of the spare rooms that are hidden at the back of the base, just to make sure that she will stay.

The door to the room is in between the lift gates and the doorway to the kitchen, yet it is camouflaged as a filing cabinet. And just as she feared, April visits the Island in her sleeping state. The Black Lighthouse flashing five times, the call for Maxwell Hollerford, the ice coldness in the air and the screams and sounds of a battle in the distance. She then wakes up with a start, sitting upright as she gasps for air, the searing pain burning away in her chest. She feels the burn tingle down her arms as she slowly catches her breath back.

April remains sitting in the bed for a while as the pain subsides gradually. She has to remind herself that she is in the UNIT base. She has become so used to waking up in one of the bedrooms in the Tardis, looking at the way in which the grey walls, covered in blue hemispheres, curves into a semicircle over her. The quiet hum around the room sounds so familiar.

Yet she is only met with four grey walls. The bright red light just above her bed lights the room with a red hue and April certainly doesn't feel at home. The silence makes her feel uneasy.

The pain is still raw in April's chest and she curls up into a ball and she sobs silently into her pillow. How she wishes to understand why she is in a parallel world where her father is still alive and yet does not recognise her at all.

After a while when April slowly comes back to her senses, trying to ignore her nightmare, she pulls herself out of bed and wraps the navy blue dressing down over the pyjama shorts and t-shirt Martha offered her. The floor is cold on her feet but after the burning heat she has after waking up, the coolness soothes her.

April opens the door a crack and peers through. The base is empty.

She opens the door further and steps out. The lights in the office are off but the base is lit by some blue lights from computers here and there. The base is warm and seems far more welcoming to April than the spare bedroom.

April quickens her pace and sits back in Jason's office chair as she switches on the computer. It takes her a lot of rummaging around drawers and filing cabinets to find the security login code to hack onto Jason's account. She is thankful that their computer system is not intelligent enough to know if someone's account is being hacked. Yet when it loads, April is suddenly met with a loud blare of the start-up music, flashing the UNIT logo on the screen before showing the desktop screen. April jumps in fright at the sound and manically tries to find a volume button, but once it has loaded, there is silence in the room. The only sound that is heard is the quiet hum of machinery. April breathes a sigh of relief before opening up the browser.

The browser loads up the last thing that Jason was researching, which is the Cybermen. There is a 3D image of a Cyberman on one side of the screen, its arms outstretched to its sides. As she moves the cursor over the image, the image turns around so that she is able to inspect the Cyberman at every angle.

She then starts to read the inscription on the other side of the screen. However the majority of it is written in brackets, reminders for Jason on what information is missing. He has written very little information about the Cyberman itself from what is already known, and most of it is clearly obvious. He describes the image of it, its steel armour, black wired face, wired jaw brace, lamp sitting on top of its head and the little tear at the bottom of each eye.

April reads on as there is a long paragraph Jason has written. It explains how the Cyberman was once a human. All its emotions have been removed and it is mutated into the steel armour. The idea is to take over the human race, deleting all emotions and creating an army of Cybermen.

This information shocks April and she is surprised to see that the information was only noted down a couple of hours ago. April frowns at this and wonders if Jason is still in the base, but she can't imagine Jason hiding from her if he knows she is there.

Pushing the thought away, she gets onto UNIT's main website and using Jason's login details, she hacks onto his account. She flicks through the many different drop-down bars until she finds one that takes her to a long list of every single soldier of UNIT, old and existing. There is a different section for each officer, a separate tab for the officers and a separate for the privates, but all the names are listed in alphabetical order; their surname first followed by their first name.

She finds herself counting: there is one Major, one Commander, six Captains, three Lieutenants, seven second Lieutenants and two officer cadets. Another tab shows a list of many different sergeants, privates and corporals. To her surprise there is no mention of Colonel Brimikawod, except the past Colonel's, along with the past Brigadier's and General's. Their date of death is shown under a black and white photo of their head shot. There were two other Major's before Rodger Barratt.

Looking through the list of UNIT members, April is surprised to see how small their army is compared to the British Army. UNIT only holds a maximum of two hundred soldiers and April has no idea how many soldiers there are in the British army but she knows that there are hundreds and hundreds more than two hundred.

April types in her father's name in the search bar and instantly his biography profile comes up. April knows she shouldn't but she is too curious. She just _has_ to know and understand more about her parallel father. The page states his position and the number of years he has served with UNIT, yet not once has he fought in battle. He is their inventor, helping to create their weapons, is in charge of the IT system and is co-judge and marker of the training period alongside with Major Rodger Barratt. She then finds herself scrolling down to read more about his personal life.

Declan Hollerford lives in what he states to be his dream house, designing, buying land and building it. He lives happily with his wife, Suzette Hollerford and his thirteen year old daughter, April Hollerford.

April suddenly feels sick after reading it and quickly closes the page, feeling ashamed that she is nosey enough to even read about him. She tries to get it into her mind that he is not her father. Her father died five years ago when she was just thirteen years old. He lived in the cul-de-sac and he was an inventor, yet his inventions were never useful. In this world the Hollerford family are rich, living in a big mansion somewhere in London and he is famous for his work. They are two completely different people. And they have their own April Hollerford.

But April does not know whether she wants to laugh, cry or scream about it. He is her father and the one thing she wants to do is hold him in her arms and let him stroke her hair, just like he used to do all the time when she was a child. But he has his own April Hollerford to take care of and love.

This thought makes April feel very lost and lonely. She has a father who cares for someone else and she has lost the one person who will look after her: the Doctor, who swore to her real father that he will keep her safe. No matter what UNIT says about her being under their protection, April still does not feel safe. And that is mainly down to the fact she is in a world she shouldn't be. She didn't ask to come here. And for all she knows, the Doctor could be anywhere in either this parallel universe or in her own world.

Home is so far away.

April quickly brushes away a tear as she brings up the page about the Cyberman back onto the screen and continues to read Jason's writing. She stares at the time for a long while, wondering why Jason came back to the base to write up this paragraph when he could have done it in the morning. But she reads the words in the brackets, a reminder for him in the morning.

 _(Private Jessica Grace, upgraded into Cyberman at 03:00 hours. Must report this in the morning.)_


	7. VI - Maze

**VI  
Maze**

 _Date: not specified  
_ _Location: Dalek spaceship, parallel world doorway 0055_

The Doctor, using his sonic screwdriver, walks up and down every rounded corridor he finds, and scans the walls. His sonic screwdriver bleeps every so often yet it gives him the same information: they are sitting in Parallel Doorway 0055. The name makes absolutely no sense to the Doctor but he continues to scan every wall, only to be given the same answer.

Every time he walks out of a corridor, he always finds himself walking back into the main room in the middle, the same one that they were first transported to. The Doctor has no idea what the use of the room is for as it is empty most of the time. All the corridors at either side just seem to lead to that room, so he just calls in the Landing, just like in a house.

He slowly trudges across the Landing, and is fully aware that the Sergeant Dalek has been following him. It has been following him for the past few hours and it is not subtle about it. The Doctor stops walking once he reaches the middle of the Landing.

"Are you going to be following me around this ship all day?" The Doctor snaps before turning around to face the large red Dalek.

The Dalek hesitates before answering flatly. "No."

The Doctor leans forward, looking at it straight in its eye. "Well stop it!" He turns and starts scanning the wall at the other end, only to find that the Dalek follows him again like a puppy. It stands a few steps behind the Doctor and watches him expectantly, almost like a dog would look at its owner, silently begging for a treat.

The Doctor only gets the same answer: doorway 0055.

"Something is bothering you; just let the cat out the bag." The Doctor mumbles as he strokes two of his fingers across the orange walls.

But the Dalek says nothing. With a roll of his eyes and a drop of his head, feeling rather irritated, the Doctor jumps away from the wall and looks at the red Dalek. With his hands in in his pockets, the Doctor keeps the distance between them.

"If you won't tell me yourself I'll interrogate you instead," The Doctor says solemnly. "Why is the only answer I get is parallel doorway 0055? Would you care to specify what it means?"

"There is more than one doorway to different parallel worlds, Doctor." The red Dalek answers.

"Yes I know that."

"We are sitting in doorway 0055, the doorway between the world that held the Battle of the Cytracik, and the parallel world where there is another Declan and Suzette Hollerford."

The Doctor runs his tongue along the bottom of the teeth. It suddenly makes sense to him as to why the Daleks are trying to immigrate to the parallel world in which April has been transported to. Clearly the Battle of the Cytracik isn't enough. The Doctor knows the answer but as he tilts his head to one side, he still asks the question. "Why are you journeying to this this world?"

"Declan and Suzette Hollerford is still alive in this world."

"But they're not going to be the same."

"They have the same DNA."

"But they're not the _exact_ same people!" The Doctor shouts as he strides up to the red Dalek so they are very close. He peers down its eye. "Do you know what happens if a parallel doorway is crossed? Sooner or later these two worlds will collide and there is no knowing as to what a collision of two universes may create. Or even if it will create anything other than destruction. The force is too strong for it to handle. This doorway has been crossed one too many times and so has many other doorways and you sitting right in the middle of the two will only increase the chances of the collision!"

"The Declan and Suzette Hollerford in this world are more successful with their inventions and therefore more dangerous. Declan is the commander of UNIT." Clearly the Dalek is just ignoring the Doctor's warning about the parallel doorway.

"You can't just travel to another parallel world for that reason." The Doctor spins around as he finds himself laughing at how silly the Daleks are. He starts to pace the Landing, clearly amused with their theory. He speaks his thoughts aloud but directs it more to himself. "So you try to cross parallel doorway 0055 because you think that the parallel Declan and Suzette are more of a threat to you, but then you get caught in the middle because some other alien spaceship doesn't like you trespassing!" The Doctor stands in front of the red Dalek again. "I don't think you really understand that what they did at the Battle of the Cytracik was entirely their own doing and not a threat to you. This parallel world has no idea about that battle so clearly it'll never happen again. They're still different. The only danger in a repeat of the battle is you showing your faces in that world!"

The Doctor steps away and turns his back to the Dalek, looking up at the orange wall. He squeezes his eyes shut and rubs them, feeling a harsh headache forming.

"I am constantly told that the battle will continue when the prophecy of the Hollerford twins will commence," The Doctor sighs, defeated. "Stop trying to bring it up now."

"You think that being nice to the Ice Girl will stop it from happening," The red Dalek says. "You would make a good Dalek."

* * *

It is amazing how large the UNIT base is and that the elevator can take the soldiers to all different sections of the base that they need to go. It has a Tardis essence to it, bigger on the inside, but there is no knowing exactly where in London the base is positioned. It isn't so easy to think what building the base is in because it is so large and the shape doesn't match any known London buildings. It is almost as if the UNIT base is in a completely different dimension.

One does not have to order the lift, or press any buttons to be taken to where they need to go. They simply have to step into the lift, close the gates and the lift will automatically take them there, whether it is another section of the base or anywhere outside of the base.

The news of the upgrade of Private Jessica Grace spreads across the UNIT base like a house fire. It ignites at first in a small section, Jason informing Major Rodger Barratt on the news and soon enough, each member is aware of their lost Private. A funeral ceremony is held in memorial of Jessica Grace that same day.

Private Grace has only been with UNIT for three years and was a quiet yet dedicated member of the team. She worked well with fellow colleagues and had a strong interest in the medical department, helping out when needed whenever a solider fell wounded during battle.

The company is devastated to hear the news of her upgrade into a Cyberman but it only increases their anger and their determination to rid the Cybermen from the world before the upgrades get out of hand.

After the farewell speech to Private Grace, delivered by Doctor Martha Jones; Commander Declan steps up onto the podium to reveal the news about the Cybermen. Using the information that Jason had typed up onto his account, Declan informs everyone about the Cybermen removing human emotion to change the flesh into a steel body creating an army. The world is in danger of being upgraded into one large Cyberman army and their job as UNIT is to stop it from happening. For all they know there could be thousands of Cybermen hiding somewhere in the city, whether it is up in the air or right under them. The Cybermen has to be stopped.

Declan then emphasises upon the fact that during the five week training period, each member will be pushed to their limits and further. No one is to be seen trying to make their way out. As soon as training is completed, promotions, if any, will be announced and then they will have to hit the streets in search for the Cybermen. In the hours when they are not training, they have to be in the base researching and making plans about future attacks.

As April sees it, it is going to be a long, sleepless five weeks.

On the morning of the first training day, April finds herself squeezed in the lift with about twenty other members of UNIT, whom none of them she has spoken to. Her black hair is pulled back into a French plait which Ireen did for her. She wears the UNIT training uniform which consists of a tight, navy blue, red and black t-shirt and black trousers which are flexible enough to move in. The UNIT logo is stitched on both sleeves. April wears a long sleeved black top underneath the uniform, only wanting to cover the scars that still show visibly on her wrists.

The lift descends for quite some time and the iron gates rattle as it moves. For most of the journey downwards, everyone is silent and every so often a murmur passes through someone's lips.

The lift eventually stops abruptly. What is to be seen once the gates are opened is not clear . All they can see through the gaps is darkness and a few bright white lights here and there. The officer in the lift with them, pulls open the gates and orders them to move out. They march out and stand in their allocated positions, standing in rank order.

They step out into a large hall, a little larger than the size of a basketball court would be. The walls are dark and the room is fairly dim, but the bright white lights up on the ceiling are enough to allow everyone to see where they are marching to.

April, who has no rank, finds herself slowly walking around the base. She watches each member as they stand at ease in lines of fifteen, before another line is formed behind. April then gives up trying in hope to find somewhere she is supposed to stand, so she joins the officers and stands on the end next to Jason. The officers stand in a different line to the privates and sergeants; they face another direction to the privates so the lines create an L shape.

They stand there for a while longer as the lift ascends to collect the remaining members before descending again. April, who is starting to feel nervous about taking part in the training course, notices Declan and Major Rodger Barratt standing at the other side of the hall. They are talking quietly to one another and occasionally points to different members of the company. April isn't sure as to what she is so nervous about the most: the training itself or her parallel father judging her skills.

Standing in the middle of the hall is a female Captain who usually works alongside Ireen and Jason. She shifts from one foot to the other, looking impatient as she looks down at her nails. Once everyone is lined up in order, the woman begins her introduction to the training.

The majority of what she says is already known across the board and has been mentioned before.

"There will be five sections to your training course, spending one week on each section," The woman's voice is loud and clear of high authority. "We begin today with your physical ability, to test you to your limits in core exercises, flexibility and stamina, as well as your ability to work out in the field. It will not be an easy section and you will get a fair few bumps and bruises and broken bones of dislocated joints along the way but it should not falter your progress. On most days you are free to wonder and choose what you want to train in the most.

"The second section will test your intelligence skills, and that's not just testing you on common knowledge and survival skills, it will determine on how much you know and understand the world around you and how you as a soldier can pick traits of your surroundings.

"For the third week you will be trained in the medical department, in which you will learn more about how to deal and take care of your own injuries when alone out in the field. This is more about common knowledge, but no soldier is allowed in battle without being trained in the basics of first aid. It will also train those of you who feels the unnecessary need to vomit at the sight of blood.

"The fourth week will test you on your fear," The woman smiles to herself. "You will be assessed in a cell individually to see how you cope and deal with facing your worst fear. It's something that we're all going to have to face and overcome. Human fear is our flaw, our weakness, and we cannot afford to let it fail us in battle. Especially if you ever have to face them.

"This then leads to where we will end the training period in week five with a week of teamwork skills. However it's not all fun and games as it will determine if you have learnt anything at all in the past four weeks. The game will be announced closer to the time but you would be split up in two different teams and only one team will be announced as the winner. If the game lasts longer than the week, it'll prove that you have not learnt at all. The game aims to be completed by the end of the seven days of week five. Even better if it finishes early. It will not determine who is the strongest or the weakest of the company, it doesn't matter who wins or who loses. It's all about teamwork."

The woman flicks a piece of fringe out of her eyes before she continues. "Fail to pass a stage in training and you will be demoted. Fail to pass the course and you will no longer be one of us. You will be stripped from your rank and then asked to depart from the company," She licks her lips, the tone of her voice becoming more serious. "You know the rules. Until the final week of training, you will be working individually. Up until then, you are being assessed individually; it's your own progress. You shall not help others and you should not expect help from others."

The woman nods her head before she moves out of the space. April catches her father's eye before he turns and heads away with Major Rodger Barratt.

The dark space in front of them that shows the large hall soon starts to change. It is almost as if different sections of the space are squared off and start to materialize around them into a completely different setting. Watching the dark walls fold away reminds April of being back on Zorlon and she is sure she remembers watching the planet materialize into a different setting. She quickly shakes her head as the memory fades as quickly as it comes.

They are outside.

The white grass underneath their feet is wet and muddy with snow and the sky above them is covered in a coat of grey clouds. The wind blows lightly as April looks out at the wooden obstacle course not far in front of her. It looks like they are in a field that looks as if it stretches on for miles and miles. There are trenches dug in the grass and obstacles to cross.

Up in the sky is a sixty second countdown. The digital numbers loom above them, its bright orange colours mixing into the clouds.

"Don't worry, April," Jason says as he shifts on the spot. "We do this one every year. It's over before you know it."

April looks at Jason who flashes a broad smile, showing off his many dazzling white teeth. April manages to half smile back before she notices Will standing further down the officer's line. He is standing next to an officer cadet she doesn't remember the name of. April turns her attention back to the obstacle course as the clock reaches to the last ten seconds.

As soon as the countdown reaches the end, there is a loud dong and April finds herself running with the other UNIT members, ready to jump and climb her first obstacle.

* * *

"The ship is made up to appear like a maze."

Terry makes the statement aloud and Rose doesn't know if she is talking aloud to herself or if she is actually informing her about it. Terry's emotionless eyes look onwards as they walk down one of the corridors. Rose knows that there is no knowing as to what way they are heading. She finds herself walking through one corridor and then manages to weave in and out till she realises she has been walking in one massive circle. The majority of the corridors don't lead anywhere apart from take them back to where they started.

Yet Terry's statement compliments the strange rounded corridors. Some are straight; some turn left and right; some go up and down and some continue to turn in the same direction for a long while. But why would the Daleks even have a spaceship in which its corridors create a maze-like atmosphere? Rose does not understand the reasoning to it other than the Daleks wanting to entertain themselves.

Truth be told, Rose does not understand anything the Daleks are currently doing.

The corridor Terry and Rose walks down is mainly straight unlike some of the other corridors they pass through. The further they go, the darker the corridor has become, just like the one that leads to the courtroom, only they are heading in the opposite direction.

Once the corridor gets too dark for them to see, Rose has to trust Terry's night vision to follow her. She feels her way through with one hand on the wall and the other slightly out in front. She takes very cautious steps, hoping that she won't trip over anything.

Eventually, Rose smacks into the back of Terry once they have walked in darkness for some time.

"Please don't tell me that we've reached a dead end." Rose sighs but Terry only has to flick on a handheld torch to tell her that the dark corridor still continues straight on.

Terry shines the torch at the wall and narrows her eyes. Rose looks in the same direction and finds what Terry is inspecting.

Dripping down the orange wall is silver goo, or slime. Rose doesn't know what it is but she recoils at the stench of it. The slime has made a small puddle on the ground.

"Dalek blood." Terry confirms as she puts the torch under her arm and then searches in her denim skirt pocket.

Rose frowns. "Blood? Why would there be Dalek blood on the walls?" Rose's voice is almost shrill as she thinks of many different scenarios but none of them make sense as to why there is blood falling in a perfectly smooth line down the wall.

Terry pulls out a glass test tube and a small spatula from her pocket and starts to scrape some of the Dalek blood into the tube.

Being the Doctor's creation, Terry has pockets in her skirts that are bigger on the inside then the outside; therefore she is able to store anything she wants in her pocket, no matter the size or the weight. She never feels the weight bearing her down and it just remains to look like an empty pocket.

"There's a laboratory on the floor above us," Terry says flatly as she pulls away from the wall to inspect the contents in the test tube. "Obviously there's leakage in the ceiling."

"What, are they testing on Daleks or something?" Rose asks but from the look on Terry's face, she knows the answer to her question but isn't willing to tell. Rose knows Terry only too well and although her robotic face remains emotionless, she can tell when Terry doesn't want to speak or if something has bothered her.

"Let's see where the corridor takes us. Just don't touch the blood." Terry slips the test tube back into her pocket along with the torch and walks on ahead through the darkness.

Carefully stepping over the puddle of Dalek blood, Rose follows Terry.

The corridor takes them on for a little while longer and ends at a large, rusted iron door. It looks as if the door is bolted into the wall. There are no handles present and by the look of it, the only way they can open the door is to turn the rusted wheel planted in the middle.

With a lot of difficulty, Rose and Terry use as much strength as the two of them can muster and try to twist the wheel. For a while it looks as if the wheel will not budge but it eventually does. Once it creaks one way, it is a lot easier to turn it around yet still it is tough.

There is a loud deep click and the door slowly swings inwards. Both Terry and Rose wipe their hands, getting rid of the excess rust.

The room they enter is a little smaller than the Landing but has the same semi-circular effect as the courtroom. It is dark inside but they can just about make out the outline of certain objects. On the far end opposite them are square windows covered with blinds. There is a row of desks covered in paperwork and control panels across the wall with the windows, and just before the desk is a large steering wheel. A wooden steering wheel that would've usually been seen on a human ship of early designs.

"This is getting way out of hand." Rose mutters as she touches the wheel; however it is locked in place. It would not move either side. "It's a control room, isn't it?"

"It's the room the Daleks work in when steering their ship around space. At least I would suspect so." Terry replies as she shuffles through the paperwork on the desk. The majority of it is junk and manuals on how to drive the ship. The manuals are filled with diagrams, pointing out different parts of the control room and what each control panel does. None of it is highly important so Terry drops the heavy file of paperwork back onto the desk and clambers onto its surface. She reaches forward to pull the cord of the blinds but as the cord brushes against her palm, she snatches her hand back instantly in pain.

There is Dalek blood covering her palm resulting in it to start stinging.

It is the first time Terry felt panic as she hurriedly wipes the blood off her hand and onto the sheets of paper besides her. The stinging subsides once she removes the blood, but her palm is of a burning red colour.

Terry takes a mental note of never touching Dalek blood again, before reaching for the cord to pull it. All the blinds across the windows open, revealing the view of space outside.

Rose stops searching from the other side of the control room to look out the window in awe. The world around them is of a dark purple colour mixed with different hues of dark blue and mainly black. Some patches are covered in a light blue and gold colour. The space is covered in millions of different stars, some larger than others. There are clusters and constellations.

Rose walks towards the desk and admires the beautiful view they have.

"I've never seen space so colourful." Rose says smiling. It is a view April dreams to see but Rose doesn't exactly feel sympathetic to her not being there.

Rather than admiring the view, Terry scans it, trying to pinpoint exactly where they are but she doesn't recognise any of the stars. "There!" She points out the window. "Do you see it?"

Rose follows the line of Terry's finger and stares at the little cluster of stars. She stares at it for a while, trying to figure out what Terry has seen and then suddenly it is there. It is so subtle and not noticeable at all but once she see it there, she could not lose sight of it.

Right in the middle of the cluster of stars that is directly in front of them, there is a slight waver in the air. The constant waver looks like rippling water, only it is travelling upwards rather than across a surface.

"The parallel doorway!" Rose exclaims.

"Parallel doorway 0055," Terry says. "And that's all you can see of it."

Rose draws her eyes away from the doorway to look down at the messy piles of paperwork spread across the table. "We probably should bring the Doctor to this room."

"That's if we can find it again."

"And give him that tube of blood too."

Terry consciously looks down at her red hand before following Rose who crosses to the other side of the control room. They both continue to examine the room but there isn't much that seem important. And it is difficult for the two of them to discover anything with what little light the stars shine into the room.

In one corner of the room is a large box, almost like a wardrobe. Rose fumbles against the wall only to find a cord. She pulls it to switch the light on.

And standing in front of them is a white and gold imperial Dalek.


	8. VII - Better than expected

**VII  
Better than expected**

 _21_ _st_ _Century  
_ _Parallel World  
_ _UNIT base  
_ _Training period_

April trips over one of the taught ropes and lands flat on her stomach in the wet mud. She curses to herself under her breath for not looking where she was going while running. She remains there for a mere second before she hauls herself back onto her knees. And then April only curses to herself some more when she notices how she is now completely covered in mud all over the UNIT training uniform. Her wrists throb in pain from landing heavily on them. She massages both wrists as she sits back on her heels and look at the large field she is currently sitting in.

It is only the second day of training and they are expected to be able to run the course without any falls by the end of this day. However April wonders how anyone is able to see where they are going when this fog around them has become so thick. She can barely see what is out a few feet in front of her other than the occasional shadow of another soldier within the midst.

April remains kneeling in the mud for short while, catching her breath as she continues to rub at her throbbing wrists. Voices and sounds of running footfalls can be heard in the distance, but everyone is at different sections of the course. Moments after the countdown, everyone lost each other as they all ran on.

On the first day, April ran the course and managed to scoot her way through it without any falls. She used as much strength she had to climb the walls and the rocky hills before crawling under nets in mud and God knows what else was put down in the ditches. Most people retched from the awful smell they had to put up with as they crawled.

One end of the course is a large swimming pool that looks as if it stretches for miles. The chlorine water is calm, only rippling ever so slightly. Yet when everyone first stumbled across the swimming pool, no one hesitated; they instantly dived into the cold water. However once there was a fair few members swimming in the pool, the water started to change as the waves lapped over them creating harsh rapids.

April gasped for breath and tried her hardest to keep her head above the surface of the water but the force of the waves kept pulling her under. Most members struggled with this and once she caught Martha's eye, who was a little ahead of her, it gave April more determination to keep swimming. Martha stayed afloat in the water for a bit waiting for April to reach her, and they managed to pass through the strong rapids together until they reached the shallow end of the pool and climbed out onto the muddy grass

Martha nodded to April before running off just as the fog started to thicken.

By the second day, everyone knows what is expected of them in the course and they know what they will be facing, but the thick fog makes it difficult.

Now, gritting her teeth together, April forces herself to stand back up on her feet. She feels as though she might have twisted one ankle from the fall but she manages to start running again, baring the pain.

The day wears on and April manages to pass through the course a fair few times without fall. Even by nightfall they have to continue running for another few hours.

April finds herself running through the dark fog, only using her memory of what obstacle comes next, but as soon as she heads towards the climbing frame, a bright white light suddenly illuminates the dark night sky. April stops running to shield her eyes from the brightness.

There is a loud voice that speaks through a megaphone, yet the buzz of machinery around her makes it hard for April to distinguish who is speaking and what is being said as neither is clear. The bright light eventually starts to fade and April finds that she is no longer standing in muddy white grass, but on dark tiled flooring. Her ears are suddenly filled with the buzz of many voices.

It is the end of the second day. The end of the obstacle course and everyone is back in the UNIT base where they first started the day before. All the UNIT members are scatted right across the large hall. Some are on their own and others find themselves in clusters. April is standing on her own but she finds a couple of Corporals standing not far around her.

The female member who introduced the training period walks around and passes a carton of water to each member.

Jason suddenly appears by April's side as the woman gives them both a carton of water.

"How did you find it?" He asks.

"It was a breeze." April replies sarcastically, trying to ignore her throbbing wrists and ankle before ripping open the carton to gulp down the water. Her throat burns from the amount of running they have done and what little liquids they were given in the past two days. Her throat also burns from the gulps of chlorine water she swallowed in the pool.

UNIT are ordered to rest for the night but are to be back the following morning at 0600 hours on the dot. They will not be able to compete in the day's jobs if late.

As all the members start to chat among one another, April looks down at her wrist watch which now has a scratched face. She sighs. They are only given five hours sleeping time before they have to return. April stands rooted on the spot and watches the members pass her by. Some smile and nods at her and some even pat her arm, congratulating her for passing the first two days. April smiles at the kind comments but then stops smiling instantly when she finds her parallel father standing at the far end of the hall watching her. She shies away from his gaze and starts to walk with the crowd.

As April walks on, her gaze drifts upwards to look at the large glass window high in the wall that looks into some sort of staff coffee room. Standing there glaring down at her is Major Rodger Barratt. He holds a mug of coffee in one hand and the other is tucked away in his trouser pocket. April stops walking to glare back at him. Both wanting to stare each other out as Major Rodger Barratt smirks. However he has to break eye contact as a female member wearing a long white coat approaches him to draw his attention away.

April remains where she is stood and continues to watch Rodger Barratt in his discussion with the female worker. She narrows her eyes, trying to read his lips but he is too far away for her to see. Eventually Rodger Barratt dismisses the woman with a wave of his hand and he starts chuckling to himself before looking down at April again. He looks somewhat delighted and pleased with himself as he raises his mug as if toasting April, before gulping down the rest of its contents. He continues to chuckle, his shoulders shaking, before turning and leaving the window.

April doesn't move after a while, curious as to what the Major found so funny and why he raised his mug to her.

Then there is a loud click before the lights start to turn off one by one and April rushes into the lift with other UNIT soldiers before the gates are closed.

Not willing to go to bed and deal with her nightmare for another night, April finds her way to the female's bathroom to take a long shower, scrubbing her skin clean from the mud and finding new bruises on her pale skin that will bloom in the next few days. While in the shower, she starts to wonder whether they had been transported to a real field somewhere in England to run the course, or if it was all manufactured. She wonders if they created the large field and used their own equipment to create the thick fog and the rough waves in the pools.

April dresses back into her jeans, t-shirt and hoodie before sitting in Jason's office chair with a large cup of coffee. She starts to read one of Ireen's books on the desk. To her luck, she is alone in the base again and she is glad to spend the night undisturbed. However reading makes April feel incredibly tired but she tries her hardest to keep her eyes open.

Without realising she suddenly jolts awake with fright as soon as she sees the display of the beach, the rocks, the cliff, the sea and the Black Lighthouse. The pain in her chest is only little but is still noticeable as she shifts in the seat, bringing her senses back to the world around her.

She doesn't quite know how long she dozed off to sleep, but long enough for her coffee to now be stone cold.

The third day arrives quite quickly and each member has to sign in before they enter the training room.

Wearing clean copies of the training uniform, April enters the training base, not entirely sure what is to be expected of them next. However for the next few days they are free to train in whatever they please whether it is learning to tie rope, work out in the gym, and learn to fight with a mentor before practising on dummies. Other activities include archery; axe throwing, knife throwing and learning how to build an effective shelter in all different kinds of settings.

There is an instructor that picks around ten members at random to do a physical training exercise with him, making them jog, run, sprint, skip, climb walls, do press ups, sit ups, strength workout till they are able to hold their own body weight as well as someone else's. At the end of this physical training, they are timed on how long it takes them to climb up the rocky wall at one end on the training base.

There is a separate room for the members to practice their shooting skills as well as learn how to use the newest weapons that Declan has just recently designed. The weapons have to be tested by every soldier of the company before they are allowed to be used in battle.

April wonders around the base, wondering what she wants to start with. As she wonders through, she finds herself watching the soldiers make use of each activity. She then hesitates in the centre, watching an instructor practising hand-on-hand combat with one of the soldiers. They throw punches at each other, tripping each other up and managing to wrestle one another to the ground. April slightly winces at the thought of having to learn to fight, afraid of becoming someone like Bruce Fey who attacked her. But she remains watching the instructor as he helps his opponent to his feet and giving him feedback and telling him on what to do to improve on certain skills. It then comes to April that they are not being trained to fight in order to hurt someone like Bruce did to her. UNIT is a military base and they are trained to fight for their survival.

"You young lady, you're with me."

April turns her head to the right to see another bulky looking instructor jogging towards her. Without further questions, she starts jogging behind him as they weave in and out of the training sections, picking a few more soldiers on the way. The instructor orders them to sometimes jog with knees up and then jog with their feet kicking their backside.

Then after a long while of jogging, the instructor slows his pace as he allows April to take the lead. He jogs beside her, looking at her side-on before blowing his whistle in her ear and ordering her to run faster. They only get faster and faster each time he blows his whistle until they are sprinting across the base.

The instructor then brings his members to one side of the base, allowing them to catch their breath for a few seconds before going through some stretches. The stretches soon lead into star jumps and jogging on the spot. He then orders them to get on the floor and do fifty sit ups, followed by turning over to do fifty press-ups.

"If one of you hesitates, or even pauses for a moment before continuing, we will start over again!" The instructor's voice is low and gruff as he shouts numbers at them, counting their sit-ups.

Luckily, everyone manages to get through all the sit-ups and press-ups without stopping and April is surprised that her arms never give way. The instructor stops counting and stands with his muscular arms folded across his bulky chest. He looks neither impressed nor unimpressed.

The instructor then brings them over to the rock climbing wall. He chooses two members at a time to climb it. They strap themselves to harnesses and quickly climb the wall as the instructor times them on a stop watch. Each and every soldier does this without fail. They are strong and know what they are doing.

April stands back and studies the wall, figuring out the best way for her to safely get to the top without slipping. However her attention diverts to the instructor as he cocks his head to one side and puts a finger in his ear, as if there is something in his ear. He looks thoughtful for a moment as if he is listening to a voice in his head, and stays in that position for a few seconds before standing neutral again.

It isn't long before he turns and gives April a suspicious look.

"I'm going to give you all a time limit." He says as he continues to stare at April. He waits for the two soldiers to jump down off the wall and the other soldiers to crowd round before continuing. "You are now expected to reach the top of the wall and get back down in sixty seconds. If you achieve that then we will narrow it down to thirty seconds," The instructor smirks. "Trooper, you're up next." He indicates to April before moving to the side.

April says nothing as she straps herself in the harness and stands at the bottom of the wall, staring at it in front of her. How the hell she – or anyone else for that matter – is to climb a wall in sixty seconds completely befuddles her. But she studies the wall quickly, trying to remember the route she had planned before.

"Come on, trooper, we don't have all day!" The instructor calls.

April's scowl deepens as she grabs onto two rocks on the wall and heaves herself upwards. Feeling the tug of the rope attached to the harness, April follows the route she planned out as quickly as she can, speeding her way up the wall. She finds the climb easier than she thought but she doesn't let the thought get to her in case of a slip-up. If the instructor wants her to climb up the wall and back down in less than sixty seconds, she wants to prove him that she can do better.

And April manages it as quick as she possibly can. The second she reaches the top, she abseils down immediately. Once her feet lands back on the base floor, she unstraps herself from the harness and turns to look at the inspector.

He looks at her with a raised eyebrow and the stopwatch gripping in one hand. He sighs as he lowers his hand. "Well done trooper," He says gruffly. "Eight seconds quicker than I had intended. I guess I'll let you off."

April nods. "Thank you, sir." She breathes before passing him, fully aware that he is still watching her as she walks away.

For April, the rest of the week moves on slowly as she jumps from section to section, learning new techniques all the time. She spends one whole day in the shooting range with Martha and Jason and four other soldiers. They try out a mixture of pistols and rifles before they move on to newer weapons that have the ability to burn and disintegrate steel aliens.

Both Jason and Martha offer to help April on how to learn how to control the gun and aim. Seeing as there is no one else in the room to help apart from the safety officer, they help her out. To their surprise and delight, April is a very quick learner and is able to shoot straight at the target within half an hour. The other soldiers in the room whisper among each other and how other soldiers have noticed April's quick ability to learn new tricks seeing as she has had no training beforehand.

The newer weapons are heavy and bulky and very difficult to keep hold of. The first one they try out was Declan's first design that is created to burn its targets. Different dummies of different textures are lined up and each member shoot at the dummies to see how each one burns to a crisp. A couple only burn but look unharmed once the flames die down, the others burn to ashes that leave a pile on the floor.

The safety officer takes notes as they pass through each weapon.

The strongest weapon is another large and bulky one that shoots a bullet but will create a hole through steel and metal and then will completely disintegrate most other materials.

As April leaves the shooting range at the end of the day, she finds her father standing not that far away from her. He holds a clipboard in one hand and he suddenly looks like a deer caught in headlights as April catches him watching her. He quickly bows his head, takes some notes and awkwardly scuttles elsewhere.

April spends one afternoon learning how to make a fire in the survival section. There is an electronic plaque on the wall that gives details about the main survival skills humans should know. The majority of it is deciphering the difference between poisonous and none poisonous plants, berries and mushrooms, how to hunt in the wild, how to create fires, how to protect oneself from infections and storms. The area seems quiet as all the members already know their survival skills. April remembers most survival skills her father had already taught her, but with a sharp headache she has had all morning, April wants to be on her own. Besides knowing that she is in a parallel world her survival knowledge of poisonous berries and mushroom will be of no use here.

April gathers some twigs together on the nesting desk and uses the plaque to help tell the difference between the wild plants. And because it is a parallel world, most plants that are harmless in her world turn out to be harmful in this world. She discovers that if bare skin gets in contact with a daffodil, the chemicals on the plant will burn the skin and only certain creams will remove the burns. April finds herself laughing to read that daisies are a very rare breed and cacti grows wild in tropical conditions.

"A good word is being said about you."

His voice is warm like melted chocolate but April refuses that to allow herself to turn to face him. She keeps her eyes on the desk as she continues to make a pile of leaves, twigs and flammable plants.

"Everyone is impressed with how well you're taking the training course and how much you're improving."

April pats down her fire pile lightly with her fingertips as she feels Will Sullivan's presence close behind her. She can feel his close proximity although they are not touching. Before she knows it, his hands slide underneath her arms around her waist and he helps to adjust her pile.

April suddenly jumps at his slow, slinky movement that she knocks him out the way. Some of the leaves scatter onto the floor.

Will laughs lightly at this as he continues to rearrange her pile. "Sorry," He says and from the tone of his voice, it is clear that he means his apology and is not just saying it. "Here, I was just going to help you out," he then pauses and his voice becomes bitter. "But you're just a cold-hearted bitch and clearly an arrogant fellow such as myself couldn't be of much help."

There is silence but Will turns to work on her pile.

April cautiously steps closer to Will and folds her arms. She watches his clever hands as they arrange the pile she had so clumsily made before.

"The fire would work better with the twigs at the bottom and the leaves and the flowers mixed at the top," He then leans across the table and pulls out a handful of white grass before sprinkling it on top. "And this would only help to make the fire last longer."

April stares at the pile thinking how in her world they only need to use coal or wood to create a fire. It seems that in the parallel world, fire is created with twigs, leaves and certain flowers. Will steps aside for her as she lights a branch and places on the pile. The whole thing lights up like a match. The flames burning bright and high and April feels a rush of warmth. She smiles, pleased to see how high the flames are, almost licking the top shelves on the wall. She then glances at Will who seems to be observing her reaction.

"Thank you." She mutters before looking back at the flames, feeling a little shy.

"Any time." His voice is flat. April catches his glance just as he winks and walks away.

April continues to hang around the survival section as her headache slowly starts to ease off. But it isn't until towards the end of the day when she overhears a conversation between Declan and Major Rodger Barratt. She listens in as she hides behind a wall.

"She's improving too quickly I don't like it." Rodger Barratt hisses in a low voice. "I don't know who she thinks she is."

"Sir, April isn't imposing a threat on anyone. We've said our word and that would be to protect her until we hear from the Doctor."

"But it's not fair!" Rodger Barratt almost sounds like a child on the brink of having a tantrum. "It's obvious she'd rather be off elsewhere. If she doesn't care about us then why should we care about her?"

"Well maybe we could put her to good use. I'd be lying to say that I'm not impressed. I didn't think that the girl was capable when I first saw her but she has so much potential," Declan sighs. "We have a battle against the Cybermen in our midst and your biggest worry is this young lady who didn't intend on visiting us in the first place. Is everything okay, sir?"

There is a pause of silence and April can just imagine Rodger Barratt shaking his head.

"It just isn't good enough. She needs to be pushed further."

"It's the first week of training, sir; she will come round soon enough. Besides, forcing everyone to face their fears is bad enough."

"No she needs to be put on the line just before her final physical assessment in a couple of days. Making her climb the wall in sixty seconds wasn't hard enough for her, she's too smart," Rodger Barratt pauses again. "When we relieve everyone, keep the officers and April behind. I have an idea."

The bell rings at the end of the day and everyone starts to file back into the lift to go home for the night except April, Jason, Will, Ireen, Rex, Martha, Sarah-Jane and many other officers. Rodger Barratt takes them down to the archery and knife throwing section.

"As officers, I need you all to be pushed further," Rodger Barratt indicates to the targets. "You all believe yourselves to be soldiers that would risk their life to save one another," He tries to suppress a smirk. "Would anyone care to put their life on their line now?"

The officers pass confused glances with on another. The air around them is tense.

"Sorry, sir," Martha starts. "We don't quite understand."

"Didn't any one of you learn about trust in your first training courses?" Rodger Barratt looks at April almost as if he is directing the question to her. "You have to have _trust_ in your fellow soldiers to work well in battle as it can't be done alone. April, would you care to stand in front of the target?"

April hesitates but does as she is told without saying anything. She walks to the archery targets and rests her back up against one of the targets, looking at the officers who shuffle nervously on the spot. There is a mixture of confused and shocked facial expressions, all of them realising what Rodger Barratt is about to do.

The conversation he had with Declan earlier rings in April's mind as she swallows what feels like a pebble in her throat. Rodger Barratt is only using "putting her on the line" as an excuse to cover up her death.

The bastard wants her dead.

Rodger Barratt wants to work her hard to death just so it looks more like an accident. To him, she is just an obstacle like in the course, not necessarily needed but there for a purpose.

But at the same time, it is a ridiculous scenario. Rodger Barratt does not have the right to kill anyone on the spot and nor will any of the officers be willing to do so. April wonders if it is a plan to try and make her weak and somehow destroy the confidence she has gained while being with the Doctor. She narrows her eyes as she wonders if Major Rodger Barratt is human at all.

April is then suddenly aware of the heat from the large lamps on the ceiling and the beads of sweat on the back of her neck as Rodger hovers his hand over the recurve bow sitting in its stand. He quickly removes his hand and clasps it to his chest.

"Sullivan, chose a weapon." He orders.

April momentarily closes her eyes. Of all the people that could possibly kill her, she doesn't want it to be Will.

"Sorry, sir?" Will frowns but remains where he is.

"I'm not going to repeat myself, Lieutenant."

"Sir, I can't do that."

"That's an order!"

Will takes a step forward. "I won't do it, sir!" He snaps. "Trust is one thing we are strong on in this company and shooting arrows at April isn't going to help us gain her trust. Let alone her gain our trust."

"Sir, what are you trying to achieve here?" Ireen asks.

Rodger Barratt sighs heavily and ignores Ireen. "Please do not be an insolent coward, Sullivan," He hisses before raising his voice for the others to hear. "Fail to pass a stage in training and you will be demoted. And I'm sure we wouldn't want that, Lieutenant."

Will hesitates as he glares down at Rodger Barratt. But he says nothing else as he slowly picks up the compound bow. Martha lets out a little gasp but quickly covers her mouth with her hand.

April glances to her parallel father who has turned his back on them and starts to march quickly out of the hall, his arms swinging very sternly at his sides.

April holds her breath as she watches Will loads his bow, clicking the thick arrow onto the string. She reminds herself that she was close to death, to _suicide_ before when she was living with Bruce and that this should just be a breeze for her, but something in Will's eyes tells her that he hates himself as he pulls back the string and aims. His face reads an apology all over and April finds herself relaxing a little. For a brief moment she somehow trusts Will with his shooting ability. He can kill her on the spot if he wants to, but it is clear that he doesn't. Therefore he won't.

The first arrow hits the blue ring of the target just above her head. April doesn't even flinch. A sigh of relief is heard from the officers.

"You can do better than that, Lieutenant. Give me a compound ten." Rodger Barratt growls.

"This has gone far enough!" Rex starts but he is only silenced by a raise of Rodger Barratt's hand.

Will aims his second arrow and releases it quickly in one motion.

April flinches ever so slightly and sucks in a sharp breath as the arrow hits compound ten. Mere millimetres from her throat. She can just about feel the cool metal of the arrow against the skin of her neck but it did not pierce her. She bites her tongue, trying not to cry out, suddenly feeling fearful.

Everyone freezes, but April just glares over at Rodger Barratt, clenching her fists. She pauses for a moment, but is aware of how still the officers are. Will scowls deeply, his face grey. Then saying nothing, April moves her head at an angle to show that the arrow did not pierce her.

There is a long pause of silence as April and Rodger Barratt glare at one another. April's face just read: better luck next time.

"At ease, Lieutenant," Rodger Barratt calls and steps closer to Will. "Next time you don't follow orders, Sullivan, you won't be let off quite so easily."

Will says nothing in response.

"And that is the trust you need as a team. If you can't sacrifice yourself for others, then you are not a worthy soldier." Rodger Barratt glares at April for a short while who does not once take her eyes off him, before he dismisses the officers for the night and leaves the hall.

April breathes out heavily as the officers rush to her side. Martha checks her neck to make sure that she wasn't struck. They all offer her water but April shakes her head no and reassures them that she is okay. She passes Will, noticing that his face has turned unhealthily pale and he looks solemnly at the compound bow sitting in its stand. It wasn't his fault that he was ordered to shoot arrows at April; it is Rodger Barratt trying to be smart. If any revenge is to be taken out on anyone, it is to be taken out on the Major.

However as the officers take her away from the training base, Will remains standing where he is. He doesn't even look at April as they pass.

The days continue to pass and April stays awake most nights, drinking coffee and avoiding her nightmare at all costs. She avoids the archery corner with a slight fear of having arrows shot at her again. She continues to move about from section to section, improving her own strength and developing more skills. She leaves the physical attack skills last, wanting to perfect everything before she feels brave enough to learn how to fight.

The fighting instructor is tall and has a friendly face as he welcomes April to the ring for the first time. He notices the nervous look on her face and does his best to keep her calm. April wants to know more about self-defence more than full frontal attack. He goes through the basic defence methods and how to block different attacks, but it is an order for him to make sure that each soldier learns how to fight.

"But I'm not a soldier." April's voice is flat as she stares at the man with her natural scowl.

He only laughs at her remark. "Well clearly they want you on their team if you're here."

April considers his words, thinking about how nice most people have been to her but then knows that Rodger Barratt is not a huge fan of her attitude. Nor is she a fan of him either.

The instructor stands in a plié, his legs apart and his torso leaning forward as he watches her. The first defence move he teaches her is how to throw their opponent on the floor if they come running at them. With a deep breath, April runs to the instructor and with ease, the instructor wraps his strong arms around her waist and throws her over his shoulder. She lands on her back with a thump.

The moment April feels contact with the floor, a visual memory flashes through her mind when Bruce pushed her down the stairs when she was only sixteen. She hears the crack of bones, remembering vividly when her elbow broke the moment she reached the bottom of the stairs.

April's eyes flickers open as she gasps, the memory quickly leaving her mind. She hears voices of other soldiers around them who have started to crowd around the ring to watch. From the amount of curious voices she can hear, April is certain that probably everyone has come to the ring to see how she develops her skill.

April looks at the tiled ceiling and then at the instructor who bends over her with a smile on his face.

"Knocks the wind out of you, doesn't it?" He looks amused.

But April watches him as she gets her breath back. "But not for long." With that, she swings her leg around and kicks the instructor's legs, knocking him completely off his feet so he too is lying on his back. This erupts some laughter and applause among the crowd that has gathered round.

The instructor is clearly impressed with her quick wit and helps her back onto her feet. He applauds her as do everyone else. He then watches April as he adjusts his white vest.

"You've been through an attack before?" He asks.

April hesitates for a moment and guiltily looks down at her shoes, not entirely fond of telling the story of Bruce, not to a stranger anyway.

The instructor sighs. "I can see it in your eyes," He squeezes her shoulder, ignoring her flinch. "It's better for you to know how to defend yourself for your own health and safety. You should never let someone attack you when you don't have the power to stop it."

The instructor continues to teach April how to fight and each time she looks scared, he has to drill it into her head that she is doing it for her own benefit. They fight for quite a while and April only grows stronger and stronger.

Once they are finished, the crowd around them starts applauding at April's skill. Everyone cheers and whistles enthusiastically for her. The instructor shakes her hand and congratulates her with a wide grin on his face. April only finds herself smiling and her cheeks flush at the attention the soldiers are giving her. And for the first time, she doesn't mind the attention.

She takes the first offered hand she sees to jump down from the ring. Once she is back on the ground, she only notices that the hand is attached to Will.

She quickly manages to snatch her hand away and mutters a thanks before turning around to see Major Rodger Barratt, standing with his arms folded tightly across his chest. Declan is stood by his side yet his face is blank, if not slightly scared, whereas Rodger Barratt looks highly irritated.

Most of the cheering crowd also notice this and only cheers even louder when April smirks and bows to him theatrically, not taking her eyes off the Major. Still bending over, April raises her eyebrows as if to ask him if she has been pushed hard enough yet.

Rodger Barratt only shakes his head.

* * *

It only takes Rose and Terry a few moments before they realise that the Imperial Dalek is completely motionless. However it still takes them a long time before either of them decide to make a move. Yet the more they stare at this motionless Imperial Dalek, the more they realise that it does not seem alive or asleep. It stands there tall and proud, its eye looking directly over their heads.

"You think it must be for display?" Rose says as she narrows her eyes, inspecting the whole outer shell of the monster. There is a glass window separating them from the Dalek. Rose can just about see her fuzzy reflection from the dim lighting in the control room.

Terry however screws her face in confusion. "Why would they need to keep one for display?" She asks aloud.

Rose watches her with a raised eyebrow and Terry edges closer to the Dalek. "Funny for you to ask such a thing. You should understand it. Wait, Terry there's-"

But Terry has already slammed into the glass cage before Rose can finish speaking. Terry stumbles backwards from the blow, rubbing her forehead and cursing loudly. Neither Rose nor Terry speak for a while as they wonder why Terry has suddenly become so confused and how she didn't even notice that the Dalek is in a glass cage.

"I just," Terry starts as she rubs her eyes but she stops again. "Just had a silly moment, not really thinking straight."

The same hand that touched the Dalek blood starts to burn but she quickly turns back to the desk by the windows and sits in one of the seats before switching on one of the machines.

Rose hovers on the spot, leaving Terry on her own as she continues to stare at the lifeless Dalek. Somehow a silent Dalek seems just as terrifying as a live Dalek. She is scared to look away in case the Dalek moves and comes alive.

Rose slowly backs away so that she is standing next to Terry, but with the Dalek in the glass cage is still in her peripheral vision as she looks at what Terry is doing.

Terry hurriedly types away at the keyboard to the machine as different symbols appear on the screen.

"Dare I ask?" Rose says light-heartedly.

"I'm hacking onto the database to try to get a map of the ship. From there I can find the link that'll give us more information about this room."

Rose folds her arms. "And how are you managing to hack onto their database?"

A smile forms of Terry's lips, which catches Rose off guard for she does not remember seeing Terry smile so willingly. "I'm smarter than most things here. We cyborgs can work together easily." She presses the enter button on the keyboard and an image of the ship's design appears on the screen. Terry clicks away, searching through each level of the ship and the names of the rooms. Yet her face drops as she examines the front of the ship.

Rose bends over Terry's shoulder and looks at the screen, examining the many different maze-like corridors that link to other rooms, but mainly links with one another and back to the Landing.

However it is only a surprise to them to see that the human control room they are standing in is not shown on the map.


	9. VIII - The Wingerdette's flight

**VIII  
The Wingerdette's flight**

 _Parallel Universe  
_ _Parallel Earth  
_ _Parallel London  
_ _UNIT base  
_ _Training period_

The second week of training covers intelligence. There is one written exam in which each soldier has to sit down and answer the fifty questions that are set out for them. No revision is to be prepared beforehand as the exam is based around common knowledge, yet some of the questions ask about the universe in existence. One question tests them on how much they think they know about the Cybermen and many other species that they have met in the past.

Just like the first week of training, everyone is surprised at April's intelligence as she seems to understand most things more than others. Yet April does not mention how she only seems to know more because she has been with the Doctor for at least six months now, and that she isn't exactly part of this universe. However, April will admit that she is not always correct in answering questions about the universe seeing as everything is so different from her world.

On one of the days in the second week, they are given map reading tasks where they have to find their own way through a large rainforest to search for five UNIT flags. At the end of each task, April finds her father staring at her, looking more and more scared by the minute.

The third week is all about first aid. They watch a long film at the start of the week that explains different scenarios they might face in battle and how to deal with each wound, whether it is on another person or on themselves. For the rest of the week they have to work individually to obtain their skills of first aid and perfect them. Those who want to work more into the medical department of UNIT have to take a few extra exams.

It isn't until the arrival of the forth week that everyone's mood changes. It is the first year that everyone is going to face their fears and deal with it, and although everyone dreads it, they all take it as a way to make the company stronger. If there is going to be any more upcoming battles, it is best for each member to remove their fears that'll hinder them in combat.

The majority of the week is in limbo as everyone waits for their name to be called. Once it is, they have to step into a cell and face their fears while Commander Hollerford, Major Rodger Barratt and the fear coordinator marks them. When they aren't in the cell, they are sitting around the main hall. Some pace up and down in circles and some remain seated, all in wonder as to what fear they are going to face or if they will be working against all their fears.

The hall is mainly silent except from the occasional cough or shuffle of someone's feet. Sometimes there is a murmur of voices as someone passes around cigarettes, some taking one and some declining the offer.

It is heading towards the end of the week when April's name is called out through the wall speaker. She sits on the bench next to Will and another officer cadet who introduced himself as Alic Grange and who often works alongside Ireen mainly. Alic is quite similar to Will in the broad frame, clearly goes to the gym regularly. His hair is dirty blond and has a similar army trim to Will's. Will and Alic seem to have a very close friendship. Yet neither of them speak that often as they wait.

April hesitates for a moment before she hauls herself off the bench and slowly walks across the eerily quiet hall, heading towards the metallic door on the other side.

"Be brave, April," Alic calls after her as he lights a cigarette. "It'll be over before you know it."

April stops walking to look at both of them. She locks onto Will's gaze, struggling to say anything as she feels her knees quivering under her weight. She then nods. "You too." It is all she can say. Her voice cracks from her dry throat.

Will doesn't take his eyes off April as she turns and continues walking, before disappearing to the other side of the metallic door.

The door automatically opens as April gets closer, leading her into a beige coloured, stone-walled square cell. It is as if all sounds that can be heard from the main hall disintegrates into complete silence as soon as each soldier steps through the doorway.

April stands in the middle of the cell, and looks back at Will and Alic. She looks at them until the door slowly swings shut with a loud clang, completely shutting her off from the main hall. The noise of the door closing does not echo across the cell.

April remains to stand in the centre of the cell, slowly turning her body away from the door so that she can look around. It is only a few moments that passes when she starts to notice how the temperature of the room drops and that she can see her breath condensing up the air. April turns around to examine the room. Nothing has changed except the coldness.

April fixes her eyes on what looks like a small rectangular window in the wall opposite the door. It is framed in black lining and nothing can be seen through the frosted glass apart from a bright white light that fills the whole window.

April makes a movement to go to the window but as soon as she does so, she finds that she cannot move her feet off the floor. No matter how much force she uses to move her legs, she is unable to. Nor do her feet even slip out of her trainers. It is as if her feet are rooted into the ground.

April starts to panic a little as the coldness increases. She bends down to try to untie her shoe laces but they are frozen solid and unable to move. That is when the ice cold water starts to fill the room and the distant voices are heard.

April gasps and snatches her hand away as the water touches her bare skin. She has never felt liquid so cold. Colder than ice itself, and her hand instantly goes numb from it. Her teeth start to chatter vigorously as she stands up and listens to the voices around her, trying to ignore the water as it starts to rise quickly.

The voices are the exact same as the ones she listens to every time she falls asleep at night. The announcement of The Day of Destruction, the call for Maxwell Hollerford, a female's scream which sounds very much like her own, which is then finally followed by other screams of many different people and the sound of a battle.

April clamps her hands over her ears but is fully aware of the water which is now at her hips. April finds herself crying out in hysterics as she splashes around in the water with her arms. But as the water is so cold, she loses the ability to move any limbs as they have become numb. She tilts her head back and takes her last gasps of air before the water engulfs her entirely.

In the moments she is trapped underwater, she watches the surface freezing over with ice and wonders to herself if it is another plan to kill her, just like Rodger Barratt did when he asked Will to shoot arrows at her. Maybe he wants to drown her this time. He must somehow know that she fears ice.

The sounds of the battle and screams are still heard, only muffled ever so slightly by the ice. April isn't aware of how long she holds her breath under the water as not once does she lose consciousness. She just closes her eyes tightly, wishing to block out the sounds.

Eventually, the ice above her starts to crack away and the ground underneath April's feet start to shake before rising. She is standing on a black metal podium that slowly pushes her upwards and out the water.

As soon as her head is out, she gulps the fresh, cold air and rubs the water out of her eyes. The screams are louder than before, almost as if the battle is close by. The view of the beach comes before her just as the Black Lighthouse flashes for the first time.

April cannot take it in. The pain in her chest is so severe she can no longer stand on her own two feet. April is used to seeing the scenery of the beach every night yet never has it felt as real to her as it does right now.

April starts to struggle to breathe as she falls on her knees. Again she clamps her hands over her ears but it is no use trying to block out the sounds as it makes no difference. It continues to ring right through her ears. All she can do is scream and hope for it all to end.

The other screams around her only increase in volume, mixing with the crash of the waves and April is fully aware that the Black Lighthouse is nearing on to its fifth flash.

The agonising pain in her chest feels like her soul is slowly dying inside.

Then all of a sudden, she feels warm hands on her arms, shaking her back to her senses.

April lets out another loud scream as she pushes the hands away and falls on her backside. Her breathing is rapid as she quickly looks at her surroundings, shuffling backwards.

The beach, the Black Lighthouse and the cold air vanishes and she finds herself back in the cell.

Her parallel father crouches on the floor besides where she was before. He looks at her with a mixture of concern and fear in his eyes.

April's breathing starts to slow down at the sight of her father, but her hands shake uncontrollably.

Declan walks over to her and hauls April to her feet.

"It's okay," Declan says soothingly as he holds her close to him. "It's all over now. If it's any significance to you, that lighthouse only flashed four times before I ordered them to stop the images." He feels April shivering as he holds her at arm's length, looking into her wide eyes.

The scowl has completely vanished from her face as utter fear and terror takes over her facial expression. Her skin colour is unhealthily pale. Declan sighs and mutters to himself that he knows it was wrong for them to force the soldiers to face their fears.

After what feels like a long time, April allows herself to be led out the cell by her parallel father. She wants to bury her face into his chest and let him hold her, stroke her hair and promise her that everything is going to be fine and that she is safe. The sounds of the screams and the battle continue to ring quietly in her ears and the pain in her chest slowly starts to burn away. But she knows that the pain will last a while longer before completely fading. The pain from her nightmare has only increased and she dreads to think what might happen when she next falls asleep.

Whatever each soldier experienced in the fourth week is not to be spoken about outside of the cell, yet everyone comforts one another when it is clear they are stressed. April struggles to regain her strength after her nightmare had seemed so real to her. But every time she sees Major Rodger Barratt, a little spark lights up inside her and she refuses to show him that inside she is screaming. She also tries to show the other soldiers that she is okay and wasn't entirely affected by it.

Sarah-Jane seems rather distressed about it and Ireen fills her up with many different cups of herbal tea. Knowing that she has travelled with the Doctor in the past, April feels a willingness to stay by Sarah-Jane's side and look after her, just to make sure that she is okay. Sarah-Jane notices this and warms up to April as they share their stories about the Doctor while waiting for the final week of training to begin. They discuss certain quirks about him that they both have discovered and laugh about it.

April is completely unaware when other UNIT soldiers turn their heads to see April laughing, smiling and looking content for the first time since she arrived.

On that last day before starting week five, the whole team come together in the office, sharing a couple of drinks and sharing their own personal stories. For the majority of that time, Jason is the centre of attention as he throws in jokes making everyone laugh. The clown of the class who everyone loves.

April learns more about each soldier and their roles in the company as well as their roles within their friendship and some stories really make her smile and laugh.

Soon enough the conversation moves on to their memories in UNIT, good and bad ones. Then they starts to compare who has suffered the most wounds in battle as if it is some competition. This then quickly moves on to their missing leader: Colonel Brimikawood.

The conversation starts to slow down and quieten when they think about his disappearance and how there is nothing to explain it. April questions this and Alic replies saying that there was a slight difference in his attitude, almost as if he was afraid and was in a hurry to get work done. Then one day he just never turned up to work again.

There is a long pause of silence before Will jumps up onto the table with a large bottle of beer clasped in his hand, diverting everyone's attention to him.

"Let's toast to him then, shall we?" He says, his eyes skipping from one person to another.

Jason shuffles on the spot and lets out a little chuckle. "Well isn't that the question of the day?" He raises his glass. "I think we all need it."

And with that, everyone raises their glasses for Colonel Brimikawood before chugging down their drinks.

That one day of everyone coming together changes the mood of the training period. They have spent the first four weeks working individually and now they are able to work together as a team again for the final week. To their luck, their teamwork game is laser tag and instead of being split into two groups, the whole company is put in one team. The opponent is to be discovered when the game starts. The aim of the game is to fight against their opponent and find five UNIT flags.

At the start of the fifth week, they all file into the lift which takes them into the streets of London, however it isn't actually London; it is a large arena made up for this particular purpose.

"The games change every year," Jason explains as he walks beside April through the pretend streets. "Before we've played games including capture the flag, cops and robbers, hide-and-seek and hot lava," Jason's face screws up. "Hot lava wasn't so nice a game to play. The wounds from the lava were only temporary but so real. Laser tag seems okay."

April sighs as she constantly keeps an eye out at everything they pass. "Yeah but I can't imagine what the pain will be like with these guns."

"I can't imagine what the opponents will be. What happens if we're up against the training staff and our Major?"

April snorts. "I wouldn't be surprised. I'll be the first to get him."

Instead of their training uniform, each member is dressed in the combat gear which consists of a light blue shirt and combat trousers. There are given a dark blue jacket which seems thin in texture but acts like a metal plate of armour.

They walk down the streets for a few moments longer and then the game starts within minutes after everyone walks into the arena of London. Gunfire is heard from all around and grenades are thrown in different directions. Many soldiers fall to the ground and others run in different directions to take cover from the fire.

Jason, Alic and April run across the road to find shelter behind the wall of a tall building closest to them. Clouds of dust fill the air from an explosion on the other side of the road. As they remain hidden, trying to get their bearings, they very quickly discover that they are fighting against holographic images of aliens, but their weapons are just as lethal as they would be if real.

As soon as the game starts, Alic, April and Jason somehow manages to lose all the other members as everyone dispersed in different directions the moment missiles started to fly their way.

"Where are they?" Alic shouts to Jason above the sounds of the gunfire shooting in their direction. "Where the fuck did everybody go?"

"I have no idea!" Jason shouts in return before jumping out from behind the building to destroy the alien trying to attack them.

Alic looks at April before nodding. Both of them jump out from behind the building to cover Jason. The holographic alien they are fighting looks very much like a Cyberman, only taller and broader, and its face is shaped more like an elephant's trunk. It is a strong alien and is able to withstand their fire.

Soon enough a couple of other UNIT soldiers run up from behind and destroy the alien with Declan's latest version of the flame thrower. Alic, April and Jason start to run alongside the other soldiers, killing different aliens along the way and shouting orders to one another. They help other soldiers along the way and too receive help from others.

Soon enough, they meet up with Ireen, Will, Rex, Martha and Sarah-Jane in the centre of the arena. Together they hide down an alleyway as Sarah-Jane pulls out a map of the arena which she found in one of the buildings she searched along the way. Using their given torches, they study the map and Sarah-Jane points out where they are and where they started the game.

For a while they discuss where they should go next. They share what aliens they have come across so far and what weapons have been of use. April takes a closer look at the map and the sections they have already passed through that have been marked off. And then it hits April.

"The arena is separated out into different blocks," she says aloud as she turns the map around so that it is facing upright to her. "I think part of this laser tag game is to test us on our knowledge of the weapons. We will have to use one weapon each for every part of the arena."

"And how did you work this out, April?" Martha asks curiously.

April hesitates briefly as she stares down at the map of the arena. She then points to the block where the game started. "Well to begin with, the first alien race we faced only became slightly weaker from bullets but completely melted away with the flame thrower," She then takes out a pencil that is placed in the breast pocket of her shirt, and circles three blocks travelling north. "The aliens here are different in size but they are all made of steel and were destroyed by the same weapon, however these aliens," April circles the next few blocks heading east. "They only reacted to bullets. They were killed instantly with one shot." April then points out to more and more aliens they have battled against across nearly half of the map and saying what their flaw were. The others start to notice the pattern that April has picked up along the way. Every few blocks the aliens change and are prone to each weapon. It is obvious as to what weapon to use in the next block as it is the only weapon they are yet to make use of.

"Obviously those who coordinate this game didn't dot the holographic aliens around at random, they put them in sections. It's a test to see how we react in combat and how well we know our weapons." April says.

"April, you are a genius!" Will exclaims as he leans forward to look at her notes on the map.

"That means the next block of aliens we'll have if we continue to head east will be destroyed by the lasers." Alic says. "Where did the others go to?"

"The majority of them headed north," Sarah-Jane explains. "I don't know whether or not they know about this pattern."

Will smiles as he looks at April for a long time before standing up. "We might be able to do it though. We could prove to the Major that we're stronger than what he thinks. We could break the miracle and finish the game within a day or two."

Everyone considers this for a short moment before the excitement buzzes. They pick up their gear and agree to head east for a while longer before heading north to reunite with the others.

However, just as they stand up and are about to leave, Alic's attention draws up to the skyline. He halts for a split moment as he sees the aliens standing up on the rooftops, looking down at them. The aliens look like a large ball of fur at first glance but Alic recognises them instantly from a past battle.

"Yeti," He breathes as the aliens slowly raises their weapons down at them. "Ambush!" Alic screams just before the Yeti start shooting at them.

Everyone takes cover before attacking the Yeti with their laser guns. It is a long battle with the Yeti and for most of the UNIT soldiers it brings back bad memories of their last battle with them. But it only takes them a reminder that it is only a holographic version of the creatures, not the real thing.

Eventually, the UNIT team win the fight, destroying the Yeti that are standing on rooftops and hidden in the building windows. As soon as it is over, they instantly move out on Ireen's command and head east. And they are correct with April's theory; the next aliens they met are killed instantly with their laser guns.

By the second morning into the week, they find the other half of the UNIT team and they all unite as one. To their luck they have collected four out of five UNIT flags, yet it is a worry to them as the last flag could be anywhere in the arena.

Martha tells the others about April's theory on the pattern of the aliens in each section of the arena. With this help they are able to work as a team and destroy the remaining holographic aliens with more preparation. Sometimes they fall in contact with human-shaped aliens out in the streets which results in more of a physical attack rather than using their weapons.

It is getting on to twilight on the second day and April finds herself in a large business office with Martha, Jason, Will and Private Jefferson. The office seems eerily quiet but none of them believe that it to be empty.

As the other members fight out on the streets of London and continue to destroy the remaining aliens, this small group decide to search buildings to find the last flag. They walk into the large office, carefully treading on the murky green carpet. With their weapons clutching in their hands, they silently look around the room in hope to find the last flag.

"There!" Martha points at the flag which is neatly folded on top of one of the filing cabinets at the far end of the office. It is clear to distinguish it as a UNIT flag from the steel blue colour. Just as Martha is about to step forward towards it, there is a gun shot in their direction. Without any hesitation, they all duck to the floor and crawl behind chairs and desks.

Bullets fly in their direction manically as they take cover. The bullets are so sporadic that they have to jump up to shoot in the alien's direction before taking cover again for small intervals.

"What type of alien is this?" April shouts aloud as she reloads her laser gun.

"Zygon," Martha replies before shooting at the Zygon. "And there's about three of them. Maybe more through that far doorway."

April remains crouching down on the floor, allowing the others shoot at the Zygons as she tries to devise a plan to retrieve the flag. When an idea comes to mind she snatches a small smoke bomb, disguised as a hand grenade, from Jason's belt and throws it at the Zygons.

The Zygons screech at the grenade lookalike hurtling towards them, so they turn and scramble out the door. When they are gone, Martha commands the others to follow the Zygon as she and April scrambles across the tables after the grenade explodes. Smoke quickly starts to spread across the doorway and the office. There is a lot of furniture in the way so getting to the flag is a lot harder than they originally thought.

Martha helps April to climb up the filing cabinet which has suddenly grown in size since the smoke bomb went off. With a little difficulty, April reaches as far as she can and just about manages to pull the flag off the top.

"I've got it!" April calls.

Martha, whose arms start to shake, quickly helps April down. The smoke grows thicker, but they are just about able to see the fire exit door they first entered through. Crossing the office, they stand by the fire door and wait for the others.

It is strangely quiet through the other doorway and both April and Martha start to wonder if the smoke blocks off sound too.

After a short while, they are able to see a yellowy glow through the smoke, almost like a flickering flame. April and Martha exchange glances, neither of them entirely sure what it is. The glow starts to grow in size and is mixed with both yellow and orange hues. More smoke starts to seep out of the doorway.

They then hear distant cries, very faintly from the Zygons which is shortly followed by a male's scream close by. Martha steps forward, trying to peer through the smoke.

The scream comes closer and all of a sudden, Jason emerges from the fog, screaming fearfully. Will and Private Jefferson follow. Only Jason seems to be screaming.

"Private Jefferson set the whole bloody building and the Zygons on fire!" Jason screams as he runs towards them. He pushes April and Martha forward and they all pelt down the black iron stairs just as soon as the fire moves into the office.

They notice how there are far more stairs going down then there were when they first walked up them, but no one says anything as they are more concerned on getting away from the fire quickly.

Once they are out of the street, the battle against other aliens continue.

"Fall back! Everyone fall back!" Will shouts.

Heads turn to look and Will as he gestures everyone to stop shooting and run. Some run instantly and some hesitate but run when pushed.

The holographic aliens start shooting after them, some getting hit. The pain is real but only lasts a few seconds before vanishing.

Occasionally soldiers turn to return the fire, but no one stops running away from the office building that is now evidently burning down to a crisp. They turn corners, fully aware that the remaining aliens are still after them.

The ground underneath their feet shake only moments before the office on fire explodes.

The explosion has such an impact on the whole arena and everyone is knocked off their feet, fire licking all the buildings around them.

But then everything is suddenly gone in a flash.

One moment they are staring at the mess they have just created in the fire-lit city, the next they are staring at the dark walls of the main hall in the UNIT base.

Everyone feels delusional at first but comes back to reality after hearing the bell ringing, announcing the end of the training period. There's a brief moment of silence before all soldiers start to applaud as they rush to their feet, shaking hands and hugging one another.

It is the first time they have completed the teamwork game in the space of forty eight hours.

Later that same evening, everyone crowds around the main UNIT office out of uniform. They laugh and socialise among one another. The base is filled with excitement as everyone prepares themselves for the evening celebrations.

Right now all anyone cares about is the fact that they have successfully passed their five weeks of training.

April walks through the base feeling rather content and more welcomed into the team than she did when she first arrived. She has only been here for nearly two months and she finally feels at home.

However April is stopped by Declan halfway down the office.

"April, do you mind if I have a word?" He asks somewhat nervously.

April nods as they move to the side, away from everyone else. Declan fidgets on the spot before speaking.

"Just to let you know that you have passed the training score with a very high mark, which is extremely uncommon for a first try. We're really quite surprised with your standard and believe that you would be of great help in the company but," He purses his lips for a moment. "But without the Colonel, I don't have the right of hiring you into the company just yet. But I think the Colonel would take you on in a heartbeat. He would like you, April."

April nods as her eyes wonder around the room.

"Welcome to UNIT, April." Declan extends his hand out to April.

For a second April just stares at his hand is slight bewilderment. But she takes it, and they shake firmly. She is aware of the way Declan studies her and holds her hands tightly for a little too long.

Declan clears his throat and quickly lets her go. "If you don't mind me asking," he says, wiping away invisible dust from his suit. "Where is that scene in your fear? The beach with the lighthouse, where is it?"

April remains silent as she listens to her parallel father's words. She has no intention on telling him anything as her nightmares only came to her after her parent's death.

April sucks in air and quickly changes the subject, purposefully avoiding answering his question. "It's funny that this is the first year no one has earned a promotion after the training period. I hear that at least fifty percent of the soldiers here get a promotion each year. And somehow this time there is nothing." She looks at her parallel father for a long time. "I wonder if that is anything to do with the Colonel's disappearance."

Then before Declan can find the words to reply, someone calls April's name. April looks at Declan for a little while longer before she turns and follows the other UNIT soldiers who are now walking out of the fire exit door. Declan's watches April leave before he turns and heads towards the lift.

The fire exit door leads to a small balcony outside of the UNIT building. April stands at the back of the line as the last remaining soldiers walk up the black iron ladder against the concrete wall.

The sky is of a deep blue colour, completely clouded over so that no stars are visible. It will only be another half an hour at least before it will soon turn nightfall.

April waits her turn behind the other soldiers before she touches the cold metal ladder and climbs upwards. When she reaches the top, she peers over the concrete wall to see a long stretch of the flat roof and all the members standing on top, drinking and talking happily among one another. Someone pops open a bottle of champagne in one corner and others cheer as the cork flies up into the twilight sky.

April hauls herself up onto the roof and slowly walks forward, taking in the friendly atmosphere around her. Although no one has received a promotion this year, everyone seems happy that they have passed another year of training and they laugh with each other just like a large family.

Jason jokes around with one of the Sergeants, teasing him, which results in him being chased around the roof. Both of them laughing as the Sergeant tackles Jason to the floor.

April slowly walks across the roof, enjoying watching the loving atmosphere around her. She reaches the other side of the roof and looks at the beautiful view looking over London. For a second she stops breathing, astonished at the view they have here. April has never seen London from so high up and from the surrounding buildings, she is able to recognise that they are in fact sitting in Greenwich. Yet it is still unclear as to know what building they are in. She then starts to wonder if anyone else around London can even see the building.

But the city is just how she knows it from back in her own world. Twinkling lights. Red buses on the road and angry beeps from cars. The only difference is the layer of snow covering the whole ground. April looks across Greenwich and turns in the direction of where Wandsworth is. A shiver runs down her spine just thinking about where she used to live.

The wind blows calmly and for the first time in ages, April feels safe and content. For this split moment, she forgets about her troubles about being separated from the Doctor and that there is a possible upcoming battle with the Cybermen; they are the least of her worries. And by the looks of it, it is the least of everyone's worries as well.

April lets out a sigh as a smile forms on her lips. Leaning her elbows on the low wall at the edge of the roof, looking out to London, April swears to herself that she is going to be braver from now on. The training period has made her stronger and she wants to help UNIT as much as she can. They are her friends. They have welcomed her. She temporarily forgets about her life with Bruce Fey and her old wish to kill herself. It is almost as if she is now living a different life.

And her wish for being braver is not only to help UNIT with the Cybermen, but also to help herself. For the first time, April feels hopeful.

As night falls, everyone crowds around in a circle at the end of the roof and raise their glasses of champagne in a toast to celebrate the end of another successful training period.

Jason steps forward with a grin on his face. "And we should have another toast to the newest addition to our team: April. April who has no recollection of how she ended up with us or what she was doing before, but somehow it could be the best thing that has ever happened to her. We can all see it. You may not officially be part of the company but you'll forever be one of us in our blood, passion and above all, bravery."

They raise their glasses once more and chant "to April" before taking a swig of their alcoholic beverages. April finds herself hugging Jason tightly, thanking him for the speech. She then turns to find Will watching her with his usual slightly squinted eyes, but his face looks somewhat intrigued as if he is impressed to see a sudden change to April. Although the scowl still remains on her face, there is a glint in her eyes that wasn't there before.

A glint of hope.

"Are you ready to see London at its best?" Ireen asks April.

April shrugs as Ireen gulps the rest of her wine. She then jumps up onto the edge of the roof and whistles three times. She jumps back off the edge and waits with the others excitedly.

Everyone's eyes fix upwards, searching the skies as they wait for their celebration to arrive. April also searches the dark skies although she has no idea as to what it is she is looking for.

Then she hears it in the distant, a screech that seems very familiar to her. April quickly turns round, hoping to find the creature that matches the sound.

"There they are!" Someone points to the dark clouds over towards Canary Wharf and everyone immediately sees it.

Floating in and out of the clouds in the distance is a large figure which at first glance might be mistaken as a dragon. But April instantly knows what it is.

About a dozen Wingerdettes fly elegantly around the sky towards them, before settling down onto the roof of the base. The UNIT team cheer at their arrival and laugh when a Wingerdette gives them a friendly nudge with their noses.

April wonders if she should ask why they know about the Wingerdettes as these creatures come from planet Zorlon, and why they are even here on Earth. But April thinks that questions can be saved for later. Right then she just wants to be brave and forget responsibilities. She just wants to focus on the present moment, holding onto the happiness and contentment she currently has.

No one has to explain to April what they are about to do for she instantly knows that they are to board the Wingerdettes and fly across night time London. It is one person to each Wingerdette and April is offered to take the first one.

Looking at the Wingerdette in front of her, she observes the way the creature stares at her with its large round black eyes. For a brief second, its eyes remind her of Terry's whose eyes are also round and black. April then examines its scaly skin, however as she attentively reaches forward to touch it, she is only surprised to see that the Wingerdette is covered in fur, not scales. It closes its eyes and makes a content purring growl as she scratches it behind its ears, just like a cat. It then bends its front legs and lowers its shoulders to the ground to allow April to climb onto its long back.

"Not afraid of heights are you?" Jason asks as April is safely secured onto the Wingerdette's back. The creature rises up off the floor so it is standing on its four short legs again.

"I've never really tested myself to see." She replies somewhat nervously as she composes her balance on the creature's back.

Jason smiles. "Well I guess we're about to find out," He takes a few steps back to stand next to Martha as the other UNIT members climb onto the other Wingerdettes. "Enjoy it while you can though, April. They can very easily detect human emotions."

April nods as she strokes the soft fur on the Wingerdettes' neck.

A whistle is blown once the Wingerdettes are loaded. Unexpectedly, April's weight is thrown forward as her Wingerdette starts running towards the edge of the roof. It takes its last jump off the roof and spreads its wings as it glides through the air.

April grips onto the fur as she screams from the joy and the momentum of flying through the London air. They fly downwards at a high speed, weaving in and out of buildings and narrowly missing the tops of cars and red buses on the road. The Wingerdette also takes her high over the buildings.

Feeling more confident and secure on the creature's back, April loosens her grip on the Wingerdette's fur and slowly sits upright. London looks like it is teeming with life, just like it always is, but the life is down on the ground and she is soaring high above them.

April is used to seeing bird-eye photos of the city but seeing it for real is something different. Something more spectacular. The view has a different beauty to the view she saw on planet Zorlon.

The wind beats a little heavily against her face as they continue to fly across the city. The Wingerdette eventually starts to lower down to the River Thames, heading west. The river water flows calmly, almost soundlessly as they skim the top. To their luck, the river is clear of any oncoming boats so they are free to glide wherever they want across the river.

April sighs deeply, as the wind blows lightly around her. She can't quite remember the last time she had felt so calm and relaxed as she does now. Even when she was with the Doctor, no matter how calm she felt then, there was always something that niggled away in her mind that constantly kept her on edge with stress. But right now she is overcome with happiness. Adrenaline rushes through her and nothing clouds her mind.

She carefully leans over to the side of the Wingerette and look down at her reflection in the water's surface below. Her skin is still as pale as ever and her black hair is slowly starting to grow out way past her shoulders. However not once has it occurred to her about cutting her hair since she ran off with the Doctor, not that she is too concerned about it either. She peers a little closer to her reflection in the water, and gently touches the place in her forehead where her frown lines are more prominent between her eyebrows. Yet her attention is only on this spot on her forehead for a short moment before her eyes quickly divert to the twinkling lights in the water.

There is a section in the sky above her that is not covered over by clouds. Stars shine through, twinkling in the night sky. April tilts her head backwards as she looks up at the stars in the sky, smiling to herself at their beauty.

Strangely, for London, there is not a great deal of light pollution in the sky. Apart from the small patch in the sky where the stars shine through, the sky is covered by clouds. April sighs as she gazes at the stars above her.

She always longed to see the stars for real and even the Doctor promised her he would take her to see them. Although for the whole time she had spent with the Doctor, she has not been able to see them up close.

April looks back down at the Wingerdette and strokes the fur on its neck, thinking that while she is on this parallel world, she is about as far as she can get to the stars. They seem so far away and distant to her.

Suddenly, something clicks inside the Wingerdette's mind; April can feel it as it cocks its head to one side. From there, it suddenly shoots straight upwards at a vertical angle and flaps its wings vigorously, soaring away from the ground towards the stars.

April lets out a loud surprised scream and she clutches onto the creature with all her might. She feels her legs dangling behind her and she tries her hardest to get her grip back with her feet.

The Wingerdette takes her high above the clouds and higher than any aeroplane would ever go. It becomes quite risky with its flight as it flies up and down at sharp angles and spins around in circles. April thinks that she might struggle for air being so high up but her breathing is fine and just as easy as it would be on the Earth's surface. She is just a little out of breath from the adrenaline. This fascinates April as she takes in a deep breath. She suddenly wonders how the astronomers back at the observatory she used to visit would think of this.

Remembering that the Wingerdettes are able to understand human emotion, April realises that the Wingerdette must have read her mind and thought that she is in need to see the stars.

April finds herself laughing as they spin above the clouds. The stars are still distant but so much closer than they were. April stretches upwards as if she is trying to touch the stars and all their splendour.

She loses track of how long they are up in the air for, but after quite some time, the Wingerdette lets out a loud screech before gliding down through the clouds and heading back to the UNIT base.

London suddenly seems small compared to the air above the clouds yet it is still beautiful.

They fly down to Greenwich where they see a large square building and standing on the roof are the UNIT soldiers, cheering and waving at her. April raises her arms up in celebration and cheers as the Wingerdette lowers to the roof. They land with a slight bump and April has to grip onto the Wingerdette's fur to stop herself from falling. The Wingerdette then sits down in the centre of the roof and lowers its shoulders, allowing April to easily slide off.

"Well done, April!"

Some of the other UNIT soldiers say to her as they crowd around April, offering her a drink which she takes and gulps down without thinking about it. The other Wingerdettes start landing onto the roof as the other flying members return.

The buzz of the celebration is so heart-warming April doesn't realise the slight twinge in her cheek muscles as she has been smiling so much. But in that moment, nothing can take that happiness away from April. It is a moment she wishes will last forever.

Yet a part of her calls out to the Doctor, wishing he could see her this happy.


	10. IX - Making plans for others

**IX  
Making plans for others**

 _Parallel doorway 0055  
_ _Dalek spaceship_

The Doctor sits on the sofa in the human-like waiting room, facing the portrait of Davros. He is unaware of how much time has passed since he sat down on that sofa. Nor does he care. Terry and Rose left to go wondering around the ship a while ago and the Doctor remained sitting by himself as he questions himself over and over again.

Where did it suddenly all go so wrong?

He was given a simple task to look after April Hollerford. A task he promised Declan he would do, but the task seems to be a whole lot more difficult then he hoped it would be. He is dealing with a young depressed woman who was on the brink of suicide before he came along. It is never quite clear to tell what April is thinking through her scowl and all the Doctor has to do is look after her and keep her safe. Make her happy. Help her recover from her demons. Clearly losing her to a parallel world isn't keeping her safe. Nor is agreeing to help the Daleks. And because of this, April is put in even more danger than she was before.

The Doctor sighs as he rests his head on the back of the sofa, looking up at the ceiling. When under pressure, the Doctor doesn't always make the best of choices and by far, agreeing to team up with the Daleks is the worst choice he has ever made. And he does not know what came over him. He just wants to protect his friends. He can't bring himself to lose anyone else ever again. He has lost one too many friends in the past and he doesn't want to have to deal with it any more. If he knows where the Tardis could be, it would have been easy for them to escape the Dalek ship before April disappeared. But even the location of the Tardis is unknown to all.

The room around him is silent but out in the corridor he can hear the sound of moving Daleks. He pushes himself off the sofa and slowly heads out the room. The corridor is empty but as he turns left and heads to the Landing, he finds about twenty Daleks discussing with each other and moving around the space. They all turn their dome-shelled heads at the same time when the Doctor steps out on the Landing. There is a long pause of silence.

"Dalek fleet is ready to move." The white Dalek states.

The Doctor tilts his head to one side with a raised eyebrow.

"Do you know what's out there?" He asks but the Daleks only remain silent, watching him. The Doctor sighs as he takes a few steps towards the middle of the Landing. "You have no idea what you'll be facing against when you land on that Earth." The Doctor momentarily looks up to see that Terry and Rose have slowly walked into the Landing.

"Explain your point, Doctor." The red Dalek orders.

The Doctor looks at the Dalek's eye for a little while. "If you want to travel to that Earth you'll have to prepare yourself for battle," The Doctor hates to admit it but he just knows that there will be a battle after the meeting between the Daleks and the Cybermen. "And I know with the state you're in none of you are prepared for that." The Doctor takes a step back and shines his sonic screwdriver upwards. A holographic screen appears showing the clip on April lying in the cul-de-sac and running away.

The Daleks start to lose control of their emotions when they notice the Cyberman in the background of the scene. The Landing becomes chaotic and the Daleks start moving around the room at a fast pace, yelling orders to one another. The Doctor takes a few cautious steps back and scuttles over to Rose and Terry.

"What are you doing?" Rose hisses. "The Daleks are unstable enough already with the other creatures chasing after them, we don't need to make it worse!"

"I just wanted to piss them off even further," The Doctor replies. "Besides they will discover that the parallel Earth is crawling with Cybermen when we get there. No doubt."

Rose sighs. "Doctor, we found a human control room that's not on the map."

"And we picked up some Dalek blood along the way if it'll be of any use to you." Terry says.

The Doctor stares at Terry in confusion. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, same as usual." She replies sternly. Rose remains to say nothing about what actually happened in the control room.

"Well right now that room is the last of our worries for the time being."

"What are we going to do about April?" Rose asks. "The Daleks want to kill her when they find her!"

The Doctor purses his lips.

"Do you have a plan?"

The Doctor shakes his head.

Rose rolls her eyes. "That's just fantastic."

"I'll figure something out. I always do." The Doctor tries to keep his voice light and cheerful but he is worried himself as he has no idea how to get out of the mess. He doesn't even know what is going to happen once they reach the Earth. "I need to contact UNIT."

The Daleks eventually calm down and instead of being scared, they are angry and full of loathing towards the Cybermen.

"You will help us destroy the Cybermen." The blue and gold Dalek orders.

"How many times are you going to add extras to our deal?" The Doctor groans childishly.

"There are no changes to our deal. You promised to kill the aliens who have been chasing us. You will help destroy the Cybermen."

"The Cybermen are the ones chasing you?" Rose says aloud.

Terry, Rose and the Doctor all exchange glances, thinking the same thing. Do the Cybermen know who it is they have been trying to chase away?

"The Dalek fleet will be ready to move," The black Dalek announces as it starts to move forward. "But first, the Doctor will make a video call to UNIT."

* * *

Another month passes since the end of the training period and the UNIT team are back to work. They investigate the Cybermen, learning more about these steel men and the more they search the city, the more they realise that there is more than one Cyberman marching around.

One early afternoon, Ireen and a small group of researchers leave the base to search the city. Using Declan's technology, it is their priority to find where the Cybermen can be located.

April, Jason and Martha sit together by the officer's desk on a lunch break. For the past month UNIT has received many phone calls and emails from the government. Because the British army has finally discovered the Cybermen, UNIT are being ordered to not get involved. They have also been given their final warning to tell the truth about Colonel Brimikawood. However there is no truth to tell as no one knows where the Colonel is or even why he has disappeared.

Halfway through their lunch break, Jason starts to get signal from a video call. With a slight sigh of exasperation, Jason puts down his sandwich and lazily flicks the switch on his monitor. A fuzzy image appears as he turns his attention back to his sandwich.

"Pizza hut." He announces as the image becomes a little clearer.

"Ah, very funny, Hoffman!" Ireen scoffs down the other end of the line, highly unamused.

Jason chuckles. "Technically I think you'll find that's boyish charm."

April and Martha turn their attention to the monitor.

"We've found the Cybermen hideout." Ireen announces as she ignores Jason's remarks. This brings attention across the base as everyone starts to crowd around the monitor. Ireen continues. "We've found a tunnel that begins under Trafalgar Square and travels all through London. We followed the tunnel and it eventually led to Battersea Power Station."

"How did you find your way into the tunnel?" Alic asks.

"There was an uneven paving slab right by the fountain. We scanned it and the readings were enough to tell us that it is alien."

The base falls silent for a while.

"And we can only guess that they're using this power station to upgrade the human race."

A door behind them slams open and everyone turns and immediately salutes as Major Rodger Barratt, Commander Declan Hollerford and another Officer Cadet strides into the base.

"At ease," Major Rodger Barratt orders gruffly as he approaches them. "What's the news, Captain Summerland?" Using his walking cane, he uneasily sits down in his office chair.

"The Cybermen have built up camp at the Battersea Power Station, sir." Ireen replies.

"Then your job is to blow it up."

"But surely-" April starts but Rodger Barratt rudely cuts across her words.

"You will ask before speaking."

April rolls her eyes. "Permission to speak..." She waits a moment before continuing reluctantly. "Sir."

"Granted." Rodger Barratt closes his eyes as he speaks.

"Surely the Cybermen would be prepared for a full-frontal battle," April continues. "Wouldn't it be wiser to destroy them from underneath? Get them when they're least expecting it and perhaps when the government are not expecting it too."

Rodger Barratt groans. "This task is nothing to do with the government. They will not notice."

"What, you think that everyone going to be completely oblivious to Battersea being blown up?"

Rodger Barratt jumps to his feet in a fury, without using his cane for support. He points at April with a fat, wrinkled finger. "You are only here to help us when we need it, April. I suppose you will hold your tongue until you're given a rank!" He shouts.

The base fills with complete silence. Rodger Barratt momentarily closes his eyes again before sitting back in his seat. "We will go unnoticed by the Cybermen and the government."

"They won't pay attention to you unless you give them a reason to." April mutters before pushing away from the desk and heading towards the lift. She hastily wipes her angry tears away as Rodger Barratt orders Ireen and the group to return to base and for everyone else to get on with their work. He selects a few officers to start devising a plan.

April feels somewhat glad that no one follows her into the lift. She needs time to herself to breathe as the stress is starting building up inside. She works her hardest to help UNIT investigate the Cybermen and although she has no rank, she enjoys her work here. Since training she really feels at ease there and trusts the soldiers. But Major Rodger Barratt is enough to spoil it for her.

Since the training period, Rodger Barratt had started bullying April behind everyone's back and each time he does, April feels her insides being crushed as he starts to remind her of the days she was trapped under Bruce's spell.

As soon as the gates are closed and the lift starts to descend, April can no longer hold in her tears. If there is one thing she would change about UNIT it would be Major Rodger Barratt himself. She never feels scared of him but she knows that he is trying to break her apart bit by bit, and April herself is finding it difficult not to let him. April can't tell if she is crying tears of anger or if she truly feels upset.

She has been away from the Doctor for nearly three months and not once has she heard anything from him. Or Rose or Terry. Absolutely nothing. It worries April to think where the Doctor could be and she wishes for his safety and that they can reunite soon. She also longs to hear the sound of the Tardis again. Every time she thinks she does, she is only mistaken by the wind. April wonders if the Doctor is even looking for her at all. Or has he completed his promise to her father and will not even bother? April starts to feel lost and out of place. As soon as she finally feels comfortable with UNIT, Rodger Barratt tries to take that away from her. And the thought that she might never hear from the Doctor again is enough to unsettle her.

Later that afternoon, April works out in the labs with Martha, Will and a few more UNIT scientists in the labs. Ireen came back to the base with samples they picked up from Battersea. Out in the labs, the scientists study these samples and run tests to get further information about the Cybermen.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Will asks one afternoon as they work side-by-side on a desk.

April sighs as she struggles to pull out the cork of one of the glass jars. "It's not exactly easy to work when you're on a practical death threat with the Major."

One corner of Will's lips curl upwards into a half smile. His eyes crinkle around the edges as he does so. He watches April for a moment as she struggles to twist the cork.

"Here let me help." Just like he did in the first week of training, he stands behind her and slides his arms under hers, around her waist and takes the jar out of her hands, his skin lightly brushing against hers. He manages to twist the cork and pulls it out of the jar. He places it back on the desk and moves to stand to her left.

"I loosened it for you." April mutters as she uses her gloved hands to pick out a small piece of steel and places it under a digital microscope.

"Don't be so tense. We're not all Major Rodger Barratt's around here."

"And I figured that one out last month."

Will raises an eyebrow. "He doesn't bully you, does he?"

April hesitates before brushing the conversation away with a wave of her hand. "How long has it been since the Colonel vanished?"

Will looks pinched by the question but he answers it nonetheless. "Nearly five months."

April stares at Will before raising her eyebrows and turning back to the glass jar. "It's just that I've noticed you wondering around his old desk some nights. You've hold onto his badge quite a lot too," April closes her eyes momentarily. "Sorry if I seem to be prying."

"It's okay," Will says softly. "We have no proof to say where the Colonel has got to, why he left or if he's ever going to come back. One day everything was fine, the next his attitude changed and before we knew it he was gone. Just like that," Will sighs. "He left without a trace except from his badge. We can't even find his files or documents anywhere and Major Rodger Barratt thinks he's run away from us. But he can't have run away because he has left all of his belongings."

"Yeah well the Major would make quick judgements like that anyway," April's scowl deepens. "God, does anyone actually listen to him?"

"He's our Major."

"And that's just a title," April sighs. "Have you checked his house? The Colonel's? I mean did he have a wife, any children?" April waits for an answer but Will looks back at the table almost guiltily. "Well everyone has hope in his reappearance, even I do and I haven't even met the man!" April forces a smile as Will looks at her sorrowfully. "He must've been a close friend of yours. You miss him."

Will snorts as the sorrowfulness in his face quickly disappears. April's last words seem to have cheered him up, or at the very least amused him. "Yeah I guess you could say that."

Remembering the look of sorrow on Will's face as they speak about Colonel Brimikawood, April suddenly feels a rush of sympathy for him; an emotion she thought she would never feel. Especially not towards Will Sullivan.

They are quickly interrupted by Martha who approaches them.

"Change of plans, April," Martha says. "We're taking you off scientific duty to have tea with Declan at his place."

April stares at Martha, her mouth open agape as she digests her words.

"Don't you want me to finish the work?" April asks, not entirely sure if she wants to see Declan's house, only guessing that she knows what it is going to be like.

"One of the scientists will finish it for you. It's a special request from Commander Hollerford himself. He wants Hoffman, you and I to meet him at his house for tea and discussions. We'll be meeting Ireen's husband, Harry Summerland, there as he's in on the job too."

Then without further ado, April finds herself following Martha and Jason into the lift in silence. It descends and the three of them are not informed on what the discussion might be about. But Jason's and Martha's words just sound like a buzz in April's ears as she thinks about what she is doing.

She has been invited to her parallel father's house.


	11. X - Deja Vu

**X  
Deja Vu**

 _Parallel Earth  
_ _Parallel London  
_ _Hollerford Residence_

A bright light shines through the gates as the lift comes to a halt; a blinding light like the sun high in the sky on a hot summer's day. Martha pulls open the gates and the three step out onto a large driveway leading up to a mansion. The lift vanishes behind them once they are outside.

April stands still on the driveway for a moment as she looks up at the large house. The house the parallel Hollerford family live in was her father's dream house. The exact house her father used to plan out, draw and describe to her when she was a child. Everything her father worked for and wanted in her world, he achieved in this parallel world; even his dream house.

"Come on, April!" Martha calls who is already halfway up the drive with Jason.

April nervously follows them up the large snow covered driveway and they head up the stone stairs leading to the large oak front door. There are two security guards standing at the bottom of the stairs and two more on either side of the door. All guards recognise and salute Martha and Jason as they pass but only watch April with a suspicious glare.

The front door is opened for them and they walk into a polished oak-walled hallway with marble flooring; just how April remembers her father telling her. In front of them is a wide grand staircase which disperses left and right at the top. To their right is a door which leads into the kitchen and the door to their left leads into the living room.

Hearing the chatter of voices, laughter and jazz music, Jason directs them to the door on the left and pushes it open. They step into the green living room. The walls are filled with many bookshelves holding hundreds of different books. Opposite the bookshelves are large windows that overlook their large driveway and a few London buildings behind trees.

Standing in the middle of the living room, is Declan himself and Harry Summerland, Ireen's husband. They are engaged in a light hearted conversation and Harry tosses a rugby ball from one hand to the other. They both are smartly dressed in their trousers and shirts, yet they look so casual with their top buttons undone, shirts untucked and their hair not neatly placed like it would be in the UNIT base. Jason and Martha are both glad to have changed out of their work uniform before coming over.

Harry is a tall and rather slim man with wavy brown hair which falls into his face. A stubble covers his cheeks.

Declan and Harry turn when the door opens and welcomes their guests with huge smiles. Harry introduces himself eagerly to April, shaking her hand and smacking a wet kiss on her cheek. He smells of cigarettes and whiskey.

Although they are in Declan's dream house, everything seems so laid back and chilled, making April feel a whole lot more comfortable than she thought she would be. But this is her father's dream home owned by someone who is not supposed to be her dad. April feels she must tread carefully.

"Darling, can you make some tea?" Declan shouts through the door on the other side of the room before switching to another jazz record on his vintage vinyl player. It is the exact same one as April had in her house, only it is very slightly bigger.

Martha and Jason sit on the sofa up against one of the bookcases and Jason instantly makes himself at home, leaning back in the corner of the sofa, putting one foot up and his arm resting against the back of the sofa. Martha also relaxes into the sofa but still keeps an upright position as she balances some paperwork on her knees. April takes to the green cushioned seat next to them but finds herself slowly sinking into the seat, the soft cushions on the seat almost absorbing her.

Harry Summerland was a close friend of Declan and according to the photos on the walls; they have been friends since school and all the way through their graduation at university. He came round to spend a lot of time with Declan often and most of the time they would go into the garden to play a game of cricket. In April's world, Declan often went to the local cricket club with his friends most weekends when he could afford it. Harry was not among the names of her father's friends. Not that she can remember.

The room is filled with light chatter as Declan and Harry talk away to everyone happily. Harry pours everyone a glass of whiskey and he winks at April as she takes it. Martha sniggers as she watches April recoil in disgust at the taste after gulping it down. April turns to look at Martha and laughs silently, her throat burning from the liquor.

Harry twists the rugby ball in his hands as he turns to Martha.

"Hey Martha." He gestures to throw it but Martha shakes her head.

"No, Harry, please don't," Martha says, not sounding entirely enthusiastic. "I think we should probably get on with this discussion."

But Harry, ignoring Martha, decides to throw the rugby ball in their direction nonetheless. Both Jason and Martha flinch as the ball comes hurtling in their direction. It smacks into the books above Martha's head with a loud thump. The ball falls and so do a few books that topple over Martha. Jason attempts and fails to stop the fall of the books by reaching out a hand clumsily, but he finds it too funny. He starts giggling and spluttering like a little school boy who has done something he is not supposed to do. April too finds herself laughing and although Martha looks somewhat irritated, she starts to laugh along as she pushes the fallen books away.

"What was that?" A female's voice calls out from through the doorway.

"It was just the cat." Declan calls back through his laughter. He winks at Martha and Jason before going over and hastily stacking the books back onto the shelf, not caring if they are upside down and not in the same places as before. He then swings round to slouch down in one of the other sofas.

There is a huge difference between the Declan Hollerford at the UNIT base and the Declan Hollerford at home. The Declan now has the fun, joking attitude April knows and loves and remembers clearly from her childhood.

April strokes the black cat that jumps up onto her lap. It purrs, just in the same way the Wingerdette did. April smiles to herself but then notices the silver tag around its neck. The name Maxwell Hollerford is engraved into the silver coin hanging off the collar. April's heart misses a beat as she remembers that name being called out in her nightmare, but her attention quickly diverts to something that shocks her even more.

A female servant enters the living room, carrying a large tray of tea and home made cake. Behind her is her parallel mother: Suzette Hollerford.

For a moment, Suzette hesitates as she sees April who is slowly sinking into the large green armchair. She looks shocked for a split second, her eyes wide, but she quickly frowns and blinks a couple of times. Her frown looks similar to April's natural scowl. Her mother looks exactly like she remembers. Curvy, shoulder length brown wavy hair. Beautiful.

"Sorry," Suzette says. "Thought you were my daughter then," She turns to look at her husband. "I wasn't expecting our guests to come over so soon."

April lowers her eyes to the carpet as she purses her lips.

"Funnily enough they share the same name! We have two April's in the house!" Harry says as he takes out a cigarette and throws the packet over to Jason. Martha declines the offer for one and so does April.

"Well I'm sure they're not the same person." Suzette says somewhat sternly as she moves around the coffee table over to April.

The female servant opens one of the big windows to air the room as they smoke. The cat jumps off April's lap with a grumble as she stands up. April and Suzette look at each other for what seems like a lifetime.

Her mother has not changed at all in image since she last remembers. Her thin face hasn't changed and her dark brown hair still sits just above her shoulders, perfectly curled in the classic 1940s style. The only difference is that five years later, April grew up and is now nearing on to the same height has her mother. But this Suzette Hollerford is not her mother. She is a parallel version who has her own daughter.

April bites her tongue, not entirely sure how she feels to be standing opposite her mother once again. She wants to cry and hug her, just like she wants to do with her father, but everything is too different. It would not be right. She can also imagine the Doctor telling her off. It seems like a Doctor-thing to say, telling her that they are not her real parents and they she should not interfere.

Suzette takes April's hand and shakes it lightly. Her thumb runs along April's skin, almost as if she is testing it.

"Suzette Hollerford, wife of Declan. I assume you're a new soldier to UNIT?"

"Technically not a soldier yet." April manages to say clearly and confidently, despite her running emotions she always tries to cover up.

Declan laughs. "You're more or less a part of us anyway!" He says before drinking his whiskey.

Suzette takes one more look in April's eyes before pulling herself away. She perches on the arm of the sofa besides Declan, and April shrinks back into the chair which looks as if it is going to swallow her up if she sinks even lower.

"So what's the discussion for today?" Suzette asks as she runs her fingers through Declan's hair, just like she always used to.

"Colonel's disappearance," Declan replies as he looks up at April. "I have a job for you, April. As far as we know, the Colonel no longer exists other than his leftover badge and our memory."

Harry leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "We've assigned you to help us search for him." He says.

April nods at this. "What about the Cybermen?"

"Don't worry about the Cybermen too much now, April. We have the whole team devising a plan to rid them from this world. Your main concern is bringing back the Colonel."

"And how can I do that?"

Declan shifts in the seat. "That's when your intelligence comes in. We're leaving this job open for you. You do what _you_ think is best. Search his house; visit the shops he used to go to, his office, _anything_ you can think of. You need to find clues that could be the reason. Anything is better than nothing," He then looks to Jason. "Jason, you can be her partner, just to make things easier."

"Sure thing, boss." Jason replies before taking a drag of his cigarette.

"I can only guess that this is being kept quiet from Rodger Barratt?" April suggests.

"I'm afraid so," Harry says as he leans back into the sofa. "I don't suppose you know anything about disappearances with the Doctor?"

April snorts. "I think the closest we've come to disappearing was being chased by an angry Henry VIII," April smiles at the memory which now seems so long ago. Then a thought comes to her. "Unless you'd say that my sudden appearance here is anything similar?"

Declan and Martha exchange glances, almost as if they have been thinking the same thing.

"April," Martha starts as she files through the paperwork on her lap. "Have you ever seen one of these?" She holds up a quick sketch on a scrap of paper.

April doesn't react much to the drawing of the shape shifter, the human-like body wearing a fencing suit and helmet. She doesn't feel fear like she did when she saw Bruce, although it was this creature that tried to kill her, not Bruce Fey himself. She feels rather empty at the image of the shape shifter and a hint of anger flitters across her face.

"I've passed it once before." April replies indifferently.

"Well as you know it's a shape shifter. We're the reason why you've travelled away from the Doctor. We were looking for him and tried to get him here, but you came instead."

April nods.

Martha continues. "But with the shape shifters, we believe they've been working on some device which no one can understand what for, but once it's been triggered, it leaves you with a prophecy of some sort. The Colonel knew about it but never said anything of it"

"So you think that the shape shifters were to do with the Colonel's disappearance?" April nervously wrings her hands, knowing that Martha is talking about the Cytracik.

Martha doesn't answer but the silence answers April's question.

"Do you mind if I use your toilet?" April asks after the brief silence.

"Of course," Suzette replies. "It's up the mains stairs and to the left," Suzette pauses a moment before standing up. "I'll show you."

April hesitates as she watches her mother glide across the living room before standing up and following her. They walk out into the hallway and up the large stairwell. They turn to climb the stairs heading left. As they walk, Suzette talks merrily about the house and that they have lived there since Declan was promoted to the Commander of UNIT.

As soon as they reach the top of the stairs, Suzette turns around sharply to face April, making her jump a little. Suzette's eyes narrows slightly as she looks as if she is observing April. Her face then relaxes when she sighs.

"How long did you say you've been with UNIT?" She asks.

"I didn't."

Suzette stares at April for a while longer with narrowed eyes. When she speaks, her voice is low and serious. "You must stay with UNIT, April. You're more important to them then you think. They _need_ you. Do whatever you need to do, make yourself at home with them. Trust them. You have to bring back the Colonel, get rid of Rodger Barratt and fight the Cybermen."

"Get rid of Rodger Barratt?" April raises an eyebrow. "It's not like I've wanted to do that since I met him."

"He's not what they all think he is," Suzette quickly stops April from speaking again. "But above all, April, you _must_ remember where you were before you got here. It's the only way we can get through to the Doctor and without him everything will fall. Just like it did at the Battle of the Cytracik," She then shushes April again when she tries to speak. "Just bring back the Doctor, do your work and then leave. They need your help but your help will only reach UNIT so far. Once you've finished, they can work on their own without you or the Doctor. Can you do that for me, April?"

 _Can you do that for me?_ It is a question her mother asked her a lot during her childhood but April nods all the same. She doesn't understand everything that has to be done but she knows that she has to try her hardest no matter what. She has to be here for UNIT.

Then for a moment April thinks about her father and the Doctor. Her father asked the Doctor to help her and look after her. Now her mother is asking her to help UNIT.

Suzette reaches forward and cups April's face in one of her hands. April freezes for a moment but then relaxes instantly from the warm touch of her mother. But as soon as she reaches up to touch her hand, Suzette pulls away in a fast motion.

"Second door to your right." She says before walking down the stairs. April turns to watch her mother and continues to stare at the door long after she disappears through it.

April quickly turns and shuts herself in the bathroom. Turning on the taps, she splashes cold water in her face as she thinks over and over again about what Suzette has just told her. She is to stay with UNIT until they no longer need her. In the meantime, she is to bring back the Colonel and the Doctor, get rid of the Major and destroy the Cybermen. April can't quite see as to why she is needed so much for UNIT. On most days, she feels like a burden to them and it is as if she isn't supposed to be there. She is in a parallel world with no recollection of how she got here. It is enough to explain that she is standing somewhere she shouldn't.

A male's voice can be heard further up the corridor. He sings to himself and the longer April stands still in the bathroom, listening, the closer the voice comes. She remains standing there until the voice comes and goes. Once April is sure that the voice is getting quieter, disappearing down then other end of the corridor, she opens the bathroom door and sneaks out. April isn't too sure why she thinks that she has to be quiet as she moves; she just feels as if she should be back down in the living room rather than exploring the house. Nonetheless, she feels that she shouldn't even be there in the first place.

April scuttles through the hallway and heads for the stairs, hoping to get back to the living room unheard of, but the moment she turns the corner to the stairs, she smacks straight into the back of someone. April falls backwards a little as the large man turns to face her.

"Oh I do apologise, my dear!" The man says with concern in his eyes. "I guess that should teach me a lesson for not being distracted and hanging around in corridors."

"It's okay." April mutters as she takes a few steps back to see who the man is. Once she is a reasonable distance from the man, the colour instantly drains from April's face.

Bruce Fey stands directly opposite her, looking exactly like he did in her world except that his eyes twinkle in the light and a broad smile stretches across his face. His smile is warm and welcoming and not in the least threatening.

April has to remind herself that this is the real Bruce Fey, just how he used to be, not a shape shifter wanting her dead. But the sight of him is enough to make her want to retch. She spent five years of her life in fear of this man and did anything to get away from him. He was the reason she had devised a plan to end her own life before he did. And now he stands in front of her with no glint across his face to say that he wants to hurt her.

"I believe you're the newcomer of UNIT," He says quite cheerfully. "Yes Declan has spoken quite a bit about you. He's praised your hard work over the past month and your success in training." Bruce continues to talk merrily for a little while but his words fly right over April's head. Bruce eventually stops as the concern flashes in his eyes again, noticing April's fear as she clutches onto the wall and her rapid breathing. "Are you quite okay?" He asks.

April opens her mouth wanting to scream and run away but Martha, Harry and Jason suddenly appear by the stairs.

"April," Martha calls. "We'd best be getting back to the base. Oh hello, Bruce!" She smiles when she spots Bruce. He welcomes Martha with a warm hug and a kiss on both her cheeks. Watching them makes April feel physically sick. After, he bids them farewell and tells April that it is a pleasure to meet her before he walks down the stairs, humming to himself.

"You alright?" Jason asks as he turns to look at April.

April just nods in reply but then thinks better of it. Suddenly April rushes straight up the stairs and shuts herself in the bathroom again, ignoring everyone else calling after her. April then reaches the bowl of the toilet just in time for her to throw up.


	12. XI - Video call

**XI  
Video call**

 _Parallel Earth  
_ _Parallel London  
_ _UNIT base_

April is exhausted by the end of the day and cannot help but to fall asleep, yet she is only met with her nightmare once again.

Weeks pass and the pain from her nightmare becomes increasingly worse since the training period. Every time she wakes up, she feels as if she is dying from thirst as her throat is so dry. Sometimes she finds herself coughing and sometimes screaming hysterically as she awakes.

During the day, April works like nothing happens over the night. She works alongside Jason, researching more into Colonel Brimikawood. April finds that the best way to start their search is to learn more about the history of the base. Jason insists that they should at least do some more research into the shape shifters seeing as all they know is they physical form in the blue and white fencing suit, the appearance of floating tadpoles when they are in human form, and that they can take on any form. However April seems rather reluctant to look into the shape shifters.

Every so often Major Rodger Barratt takes a look at what April is researching but Jason always covers her to say that they are discussing Cybermen issues. April merely listens to Rodger Barratt lackadaisically whenever he speaks.

During these moments, she can sometimes catch Declan Hollerford watching her from a distance, and yet he rarely ever speaks to her while they're in the base together. He will go around speaking to the other soldiers of UNIT but not her. It makes April wonder whether her parallel mother said anything to him after she left their house.

While she works, April tries her hardest to pretend that she never met the parallel Bruce Fey. April has finally stopped counting the passing days and weeks since than, but she can tell that it is nearing on to two months since the training period. It has been five months since April arrived at the UNIT base and she feels like maybe she will never see the Doctor again.

That night, April wakes up with a fright from her nightmare, letting out screams as she wriggles in bed, tangled up in her bedsheets.

"Hey, April, it's okay! Everything is fine. Calm down!"

A cool hand lays on April's hot shoulder, slowly soothing her.

April desperately gulps in a few breaths of air to remind herself that she is safe in the UNIT base and not at the Island in her nightmare. The view of the spare bedroom glowing in the bright red light comes into view. Only then does she realise that Will Sullivan is standing over her with his hand on her shoulder. She is fully aware of her hot sticky skin and her hair being stuck to her face. She stares up at Will.

"Are you okay now?" He asks. He looks worried for her but he smiles all the same.

April nods as she hides her bare arms under the duvet, knowing that Will must have seen all her scars.

Will gives her shoulder a squeeze before standing up. "I've brought you a glass of water. Thought you'd might need it," He heads for the door but then looks at her one last time. "Just take it easy and I'll be upstairs if you need me." He leaves the room after a slight hesitation and closes the door behind him.

April stares at the door for a little while longer before she reaches for the glass and gulps down all the cool water, soothing her burning throat. It is the first time anyone has ever woken her up from her nightmare and it only scares her to think that she might have been whimpering aloud in her sleep. However to her surprise, seeing Will beside her has calmed her down a lot quicker than usual after her nightmare and the pain in her chest vanishes quickly. She supposes that the surprise and wonder of seeing Will first thing when she wakes up has distracted her from the horrors of her nightmare. Yet she can't help but wonder why Will suddenly cares so much. Her screams must have echoed across the base for him to have heard her. But why is Will even at the base at this time?

After gulping down the water, April has enough time to climb out of bed and change into her jeans and hoodie. It is early in the morning and sunrise isn't too far off.

The UNIT base is completely empty of people when April walks through it which is a surprise to her as most nights when she does not want to sleep, there are always a few soldiers around the base to talk to. She passes silently through the base heading to the fire door.

The wind is chilly and April pulls her hoodie across her chest before climbing the iron stairs. Sitting on the low wall at the edge of the roof is Will. He wears his UNIT uniform as he looks out over the city of London which strangely seems quiet that morning.

April crosses her arms tightly across her chest in an attempt to keep in her warmth, and walks across the roof to join Will.

"Pretty bad nightmare, I guess?" He says when April perches on the low wall beside him.

"Yeah." April breathes, slightly shivering in the early morning chill. She looks out over the view of London, not being entirely concerned about the long drop below. The city is quiet and there aren't many cars on the road. It is weird to see London from this height and it looks as if the city is asleep.

"It's fine. We've all been plagued from nightmares. It's always nice to come up here to relax," Will says as he lights a cigarette. "I often do so when times are tough. The view helps to take my mind off everything. Helps to make you problems seem small."

April zips up her hoodie as she sighs. And Will is correct. The calming, chilly breeze around her and the quiet view helps to ease her mind from her nightmare. Yet every so often, she feels the chill of the air getting caught in her throat.

"I would love to see the view of planet Zorlon more often if I could," April says before looking at Will, realising that this is the only best view he has. "Is UNIT quite well known across the country?"

Will nods as he takes a deep drag. "The whole country has known UNIT for as long as the company has been running. We're not known worldwide yet. But no one else has easy access into the base unless they know the trick to transport to the lift. The base is invisible in London."

"Yeah I'm still getting used to that one."

"Besides, we have the government chasing after us and even they don't know where we are located." There is a long pause as Will looks pensively at the view of London. He then turns to look at April for a while. She turns to meet his eye, her scowl only deepening.

"Promise me you won't do anything reckless." Will's words are more of a command than an offer.

"You're not my boss, Lieutenant."

"And yet I'm still a higher rank to you." Will turns to look at the city again as a smirk plays on his lips.

"And I'm not an official member of the team."

"You should still respect the hierarchy."

April glares at Will, stumped for words as he puts his cigarette between his lips. The wind blows a litter harder. _Smug_. That is all April can think of.

"What makes you think I'll be doing anything reckless?" She asks.

"It's because you're stubborn."

April opens her mouth, about to return Will with a remark as he has clearly irritated her, but the two of them suddenly jump to their feet in fright from the robotic voice that is heard behind them.

"You have been chosen."

Standing in the middle of the rooftop are two Cybermen staring blankly at them.

"How the bloody hell did you get here?" Will shouts at them, pushing April out the way.

"UNIT base has been successfully captured. Return to mission." One of the Cybermen replies sternly before they both take hold of April and Will and march them across the roof. April and Will glance at each other wearily. The Cybermen's grip is far too tight for them to even attempt to wriggle away.

They are escorted back down into the base where all of the UNIT soldiers are under arrest. The base is filled with twenty or more Cybermen splitting the team into large groups and ordering them onto their knees. Everyone does as they are told without argument.

April and Will are forced down onto their knees besides all the other officers. April looks at Jason next to her who forces himself to grin but it quickly vanishes from the sound of one of the Cybermen's voice.

One Cyberman stands in front of the officers. They all guess it to perhaps be the leader seeing as its jaw brace is gold rather than silver like the others.

"Only the Colonel will answer our questions." It orders.

"The Colonel is not here right now," Will snaps. "But I will speak in his place."

The Cyberman does not respond for a short while as it looks down at Will. Something bleeps inside the steel man, almost as if it just scanned Will and is okay to allow him to speak. April narrows her eyes finding it rather odd as to how Will suddenly has the authority to speak for the Colonel.

"What do you know about the spaceship in parallel doorway 0055?" The Cyberman asks.

"Be more specific."

"A spaceship we have been chasing. A spaceship from a parallel world that has tried to come here."

A little spark of hope rises inside April as she wonders if it is the Tardis they are chasing, but she does her best to keep her face blank, aware of any Cyberman may be able to detect human emotion.

"We are unaware of this spaceship and cannot help you." Will spits his words through gritted teeth.

"You lie."

"We don't _know_!"

The Cyberman turns and then slams its fist onto its chest. Something inside the steel man bleeps again and a holographic image appears, showing a large round, gold coloured spaceship sitting in the sky.

There is a murmur within the UNIT members as they recognise the ship as their lost ship. It is a murmur of excitement, fear and relief. It has been months since they managed to lose that spaceship and now they have it back. The only question is why the Cybermen have been chasing after it.

"This ship has been hiding from us for a long time," The Cyberman starts. "And it is our duty to destroy it," It then turns sharply to face Will. "Why was UNIT also following it?"

Will sighs, realising that it is no use lying to the Cybermen. "We wanted to know how it is even possible for a spaceship to be trapped in a parallel doorway. We were distracted and lost signal and were never able to recover it."

"Do you know what is on board?"

"We do not," Will purses his lips for a moment before raising his eyebrows. "Do you?"

The Cyberman hesitates for a while before replying. "No." It moves towards the holographic image of the ship and a few more Cybermen march closer. The leader Cyberman clamps its fist to its chest again and speaks aloud. "Access to visual imagery." There are a few bleeps heard from across the base followed by a robotic voice declining the access.

The room falls silent for a while before the leader Cyberman marches across the base. "UNIT will get signal." It orders.

"We don't know how!" Ireen shouts.

"Only William Sullivan will speak."

"We don't know how!" Will repeats Ireen's words.

"Get signal through to the ship or we will delete the company!"

Instantly a phone rings loudly, breaking the panic. Everyone shuffles on the spot and looks curiously around the room, trying to find where the ringing phone is coming from. They only then realise that they are getting a video call coming from the holographic screen. The leader Cyberman answers without further ado and the image changes.

Looking up at them through the holographic screen are about a dozen gold Daleks and six other Daleks of different colours. Standing to the left of the screen is Rose Tyler and Terry, a gold Dalek at each side, and standing beside the red Dalek in the centre of the screen is the Doctor.

April lets out a gasp of horror at the image, but quickly covers her mouth with her hands as her memory suddenly comes flooding back to her. She remembers the panic when they realised that the Tardis was gone missing, followed by planet Zorlon crumbling away into a Dalek spaceship. The Daleks asking the Doctor for help as they were scared of the Cybermen chasing them. Then they were under attack and she was taken away from the ship.

The memory comes back to her like a punch in the face and Jason has to grip onto her arm to support her balance. April starts to feel more fearful than ever of the Daleks. She clenches her fists and bites her tongue, trying not to show emotion. But she then notices the Doctor's death stare through the holographic screen. He glares back at them with hatred in his eyes, a look April has never seen. Both Terry and Rose do not look the same as before either.

April then vaguely remembers the Doctor agreeing to help the Daleks.

"What have they done to you?" April whispers, only wishing that she can cry out to them.

It is evident that the Daleks and the Cybermen have met before when their debate begins. The Daleks accuse the Cybermen for chasing after them, obviously asking for a battle, and the Cybermen accuse the Daleks for trespassing their world, a world in which the Daleks do not belong in.

It is a very long and slow moving argument and the Daleks and Cybermen are more or less repeating what they are saying, not really listening to one another. Jason sniggers at this, clearly quite amused.

"You have taken an item of our possession." The red Dalek states harshly.

"We have done no such thing." The Cyberman replies indifferently.

"She is behind you. You took April Hollerford from our ship."

April stares down at the floor wanting to avoid anyone else's eye contact. It is the first time anyone from UNIT has heard her full name.

"She's not your item of possession! April Hollerford is even not here!" Harry shouts at the screen but Ireen pulls him back. The Daleks and the Cybermen clearly ignores them. There is an air of confusion across the base and April has no idea if anyone knows that the Daleks are talking about her, not her parallel self.

"We have done no such thing," The Cyberman repeats. "We have only wanted to rid you from this world, not take your possessions. You will not stop us in our quest to upgrade the entire human race into a Cyberman army."

"You think you can take over this world?" The red Dalek's voice is almost like a sigh. "The law of justice states that when an item of our possession is taken out of our territory without a Dalek's consent, the taker will therefore be captured and tortured to death before being forced back alive again and turned into a Dalek, still alive."

"We have not taken anything from your possession." The Cyberman insists stubbornly.

The red Dalek stares at them through the screen. "If April Hollerford triggered herself away from our ship, she is the enemy and therefore once captured, would be exterminated on the spot," The Dalek leaves a dramatic pause as UNIT digests its words. "The Doctor agreed to it."

"What?" April hisses.

"The Doctor is your enemy, UNIT. He has joined the Dalek's side and has agreed that all Cybermen and all UNIT members will be destroyed."

Sarah-Jane covers her mouth in shock. Everyone else is in too much shock to even say anything. April glares at the Doctor's pixilated image who glares back at her. April can't tell whether she is shocked or unsurprised at this turn of events. Either they are correct in saying that the Doctor has agreed to work alongside the Daleks or they have done something to make him do it. Has he been possessed?

"We will arrive on Earth in five days," The red Dalek announces. "And then war will commence. A war between the Dalek race, the Cybermen and UNIT. The winner of the war will take over this world. Do your worst Cybermen."

With that, the screen goes blank and vanishes. The Cybermen do not hesitate before they start throwing orders.

"The Cybermen security will be refined," The Cyberman leader orders. "The upgrading process will start immediately. Activate the siren."

The Cybermen start to march out of the base. Four are ordered to stay and watch over UNIT. Any member that tries to leave the base will be deleted on the spot. The four Cybermen guard the fire exit door and the doorway to the lift.

When the rest of the Cybermen leave, the base falls into a stunned silent for a long while. The buzz of machinery fills the air but no one dares to move or speak. All are in shock, horrified that the one man they trust has betrayed them to team up with the Daleks. They are also in fear of the four Cybermen standing guard.

It is a long time before Ireen loses her patience with the silence. She moves swiftly and quickly across the base, ignoring the Cybermen as they watch her every move, and demanding she stops moving. She pulls open her filing cabinet and ruffles through her paperwork before pulling out a small cylinder tube. She twiddles it in her hands, looking down at it almost as if she is pondering on what it is she wants to do.

Ireen starts to slowly walk back to her place but after about three steps, she turns and throws the cylinder tube at the Cyberman closest to her. It attaches to its shoulder, sending an electrical charge through the Cyberman and the other three. All four Cybermen scream in pain as they shake from the charge. Eventually they fall to their knees, like an empty shell and completely shatters into pieces.

"It was about time someone tested that!" Ireen says loudly as she wipes away the invisible dust from her palms, completely breaking the long silence.

The base suddenly buzzes to life in chaos. No one knows what is to be done and everything has become a chaotic mess. People shout at one another, trying to create order but there is too much panic.

Suddenly two gun shots are fired at the ceiling, silencing the room. Everyone jumps at the sound and turn to see Major Rodger Barratt, a gun clasped in his hand. His face is red with fury.

"I would like to remind you of who you all are," He shouts. "We are UNIT, a military base and we are all soldiers. This is not the attitude I expect from soldiers before battle. And we will fight back, even when the Doctor has proved unworthy of our trust. We will fight back the Cybermen and the Daleks no matter what the cause will be."

Declan, who is standing behind Rodger Barratt's shoulder speaks low and quietly. "Sir, I don't think that firing a gun was the most professional way to bring them back to order."

"Shut it, Hollerford. You wouldn't have done any better." Rodger Barratt hisses back.

"The Colonel would've."

Major Rodger Barratt turns sharply to stare at Declan, his eyes narrowed. "You'd better keep your mouth shut, Commander, or we'll never get to save your daughter from the Daleks."

Declan however doesn't believe that it is his daughter the Daleks are after. He knows that there is a mix up and that it is the new April they are after. Not his daughter. However he refuses to looked over in April's direction. He continues to stare at his Major.

Just as Declan opens his mouth to speak, the sound of the elevator rising echoes across the base.


	13. XII - When the Doctor returns

**XII  
When the Doctor returns**

 _Parallel Earth  
_ _Parallel London  
_ _UNIT base_

There is a rush of movement as everyone gets into position ready for an attack if needs be. April, Martha and Sarah-Jane find themselves being pushed behind everyone else. Some soldiers crouch onto their knees, some stand and some hide behind desks and filing cabinets, all pointing weapons to the lift as it ascends.

However nothing happens when the lift reaches the top. Rodger Barratt raises his hand to stop anyone from shooting.

"Halt! Who goes there?" Alic calls out loudly to the tall dark figure standing inside the lift. The figure pulls across one gate carefully. "Don't move!" But the figure continues to move. "I said don't come any closer! That's an order!"

The second gate pulls open and out steps the Doctor.

None of the UNIT soldiers hesitate before pulling back the safety hatches to their guns, ready to shoot if the Doctor poses a sudden threat to them.

The Doctor slowly steps into the base, looking at each member one by one. April, who is hiding behind one of the privates, peers over his shoulder to look at the Doctor. From the look of him, April truly feels betrayed and doesn't even want to see him, but she recognises something on his face. The look of sorrow he wears somehow makes him look like the same old Doctor.

The Doctor catches her stare, and something in his face clicks. She has never seen him look so upset and angry with himself and it makes April wonder if it is all just a big mistake.

April squeezes past the private and slowly makes her way through everyone else, careful not to fall or trip over anything. The Doctor remains standing still in the middle of the base and no one, not even Rodger Barratt orders April to get back in line. April steps over Alic's bent knee and steps out into the open space of the base. She approaches the Doctor carefully, but not once does she meet his eye.

Once April is standing directly opposite the Doctor, April breathes in deeply before looking up and catching his stare. She looks at him for a while, and she does not know how she realises this, but she knows that this whole situation with the Daleks definitely is one big mistake that the Doctor never intended to make. It is almost as if she can read his mind because she suddenly understands how he is feeling and that he is only doing this to keep herself, Rose and Terry safe.

April sighs, her expression looking deflated and she realises the stupidity of the Doctor's actions. And even he knows it and hates himself for it.

"I hate you." April mutters to him.

"I'm sorry." The Doctor replies.

With that, April jumps up and wraps her arms tightly around his neck. The Doctor returns the hug, holding her close to him. The corners of his lips curl upwards into a weak smile. He is relieved that despite April's words, she has forgiven him for making such a mess of everything.

Everyone else in the base exchange glances before they suddenly start to relax and lower their weapons. April releases the Doctor and stands to the side, allowing the Doctor to speak out to his old parallel friends.

The Doctor takes a step forward, aware that not everyone is fooled. "Look, I'm no threat to you. I know I've messed this all up badly. None of this was supposed to happen and the Daleks have made this situation a whole lot more complex than it really needs to be. I'm sorry for putting this all onto you. I tried to work around it but it only made everything worse. I want to help you as much as I can and I'm just so sorry," He looks at Ireen who places her weapon on the desk behind her when the other soldiers move out from their positions to listen to the Doctor. "I really am sorry."

"If you're going to continue to apologise for the rest of the time we have left, Doctor, then I'd suggest you'd clear off." Ireen says harshly but with a hint of sarcasm. She smiles at him gleefully before extending her hand out to him. "It's good to see you again, Doctor." She says as they shake hands. Other soldiers start to surround the Doctor to shake his hand.

For a split moment, it is almost as if discovering that the Doctor has messed up so badly is forgotten about as the Doctor reunites with UNIT for the first time in a long time. Just like a reunion of old friends. Everyone is happy to see him again and welcomes him back. There is a sparkle in the Doctor's eyes as he reunites with his old friends. April watches him happily and he catches her eye. The Doctor quickly notices the change in April since they last met. Only a few days have passed by for the Doctor, Rose and Terry. But a whole five months have passed for April.

As the Doctor jumps from one soldier to the next, April can't help but notice the sudden tension between Will and Doctor. Neither of them say a word to each other, nor do they shake hands. They glare at each other for a while before Will passes to stand with the other officers.

"Would you at least explain how things got so bad?" Martha asks as everyone settles down again. "We believe that both yourself and April have come from that Dalek spaceship. That spaceship we lost a few months ago."

"It's complicated, very complicated," The Doctor breathes. "I can't be here long otherwise the Daleks will be suspicious of my whereabouts," He then sighs as he turns to look at Martha. "They're not the same Daleks as the one's you've seen before. They've devised a law strategy for their way of living. They found themselves caught in space and hid from the Cybermen under fear of being chased by them. When you guys transported April here, the Daleks went crazy over it and now they want to create a war. For the time being, I'm going to have to continue pretending to be on their side, and you're going to have to pretend that we're enemies."

"And how will that work?" Major Rodger Barratt hisses.

The Doctor glances over at the old man, noticing how dark his eyes are, not how he remembered. "Although the battle will start once the Daleks arrive here, our strategy will keep us safe as long as we can keep this up. I can't imagine what will happen if they discover that we're tricking the aliens."

"Does that mean the Cybermen want us on their side if the Daleks have you?" Jason asks.

"I don't know," The Doctor replies. "But it's best if you steer clear of collaborations they may offer."

April frowns. "But I still don't understand. How did my transportation to UNIT even get you under the Dalek's wing? How did that even start your deal?"

"Remember when I said that it is complicated and difficult to explain? Yeah that still hasn't changed."

"What about Rose and Terry?" Martha asks. "Where are they?"

"They're still on the ship. It would be too suspicious if they came with me."

"You've left them on the ship with the Daleks alone?" April snaps. The Doctor hesitates as hearing it from April sounds worse than he originally thought before he left the ship.

"In fact we came along for the journey too." Terry's voice is heard from across the base.

Standing by the fire exit door is both Rose and Terry. Terry's expression is full of hatred, anger and disappointment. April is shocked to see so much emotion on Terry's face which is always blank and expressionless. The two of them walk over to join the others.

"So what is it we're to do?" April asks as she turns back to look at the Doctor.

"Defeat the Daleks." The Doctor replies.

April frowns, remembering all the jobs her parallel mother had asked her to do and her job to find the Colonel.

"All of us will," Terry hisses. "We will all stop both the Daleks and the Cybermen," She glares at the Doctor. "You've done enough damage. You're not working alone on this again."

The Doctor lowers his voice. "There's a time and a place for you to have a go at me, Terry."

"What isn't now a good time to tell you off? Are you too ashamed of your actions?"

"Look I said I'm sorry!"

"That's enough, Terry." Rose's voice is calm but tired. She pulls Terry away gently but Terry frees her arms from Rose's grip to storm back to the other side of the base.

She stands there for a moment, her anger rising. Yet Terry starts to feel very confused as she has never felt so much anger before in her life. The Doctor has disappointed her greatly but she doesn't see why she feels so angry about it. Her vision blurs and her eyes feel scratchy as something wet rolls down her cheek, tickling her skin. Terry frowns as she slowly raises her hand to touch her cheek. Water leaks out of her eyes, making the skin on her face damp.

Terry silently cries her first tears. She does not understand where she has got all the human emotion from.

April stands by the Doctor but watches Terry who stands on the other side of the base with her back to them. Her scowl deepens. She is shocked to see Terry full of emotions and fears to think what the Doctor, Rose and Terry went through on the ship after she was transported away from them.

"Where is the Colonel?" The Doctor asks, staring pointedly over in Will's direction.

"We don't know," Rex says, stepping forward. "He's disappeared without a trace."

The Doctor stares at Jason for a long time. Why has Colonel Brimikawood disappeared? The man who he was once best friends with would never abandon his own company. The Doctor knows that his disappearance was not out of his choice. He nodes at Rex. "For now," The Doctor continues. "Your main job is to find the Colonel and bring him back."

"I forbid it!" Major Rodger Barratt suddenly shouts.

Everyone turns to look at him is surprise.

"Sir, we need our Colonel back." Martha says, looking at him warily.

"If you have any hope in this upcoming battle, then it's to bring back the Colonel." The Doctor ignores Rodger Barratt and so do everyone else.

"Jason and I have been researching into it," April says. "Remember the shape shifter we saw back home?" She refuses to say Bruce's name while everyone else is still around them. "We sent its ashes into the black hole in Andrymia."

"There are more of them."

April nods. "We think they might have something to do with the Colonel's disappearance because of..." She stops but the Doctor understands.

"Before the Colonel disappeared, his attitude changed, almost as if he was scared," Jason says. "He could've met the shape shifters before. They might've threatened him or something."

The Doctor glances at his watch. "Well it's the best you can do. Just find him."

"Thanks for the assistance." Ireen says.

UNIT passes the word around and everyone does what they can to find where the Colonel might be. As everyone runs around the building, April stands back as she watches the Doctor and Rose. Despite the fact that she and Rose do not get along, she does not like to see her so upset with the Doctor. The four of them have been split apart by the Daleks, almost as if the strange friendship they held before has been torn apart: Terry is furious with the Doctor for messing up so much; Rose is hurt and afraid, and April has spent so much time with UNIT she feels more content with them than she expected. They are no longer the fixed team they were when fighting against the Slitheen.

"I'm just scared," Rose says to the Doctor, not looking at him directly but down at her shoes. "I'm scared for the fate of everyone here at UNIT, we can't lose them again. I'm scared of the power of the Dalek King, I'm scared of the change in the Dalek's culture, I'm scared for Terry and I'm scared of how you got us into this mess."

"I was only trying to protect you." The Doctor says softly.

"And that's exactly what I'm scared about. You go out your way to protect us, only to put us all in more danger."

The Doctor kisses Rose on the forehead before pulling her into him in an embrace.

April feels as if she understands how the Doctor is feeling at the moment and is sympathetic towards him. She knows that it hurts the Doctor more than anything to see the ones he love go and does everything he can to keep them safe.

April finds herself smiling as Rose wraps her arms around the Doctor's waist, burying her face into his shoulder. At first, April's smile feels sincere but after a while, it feels more like a Barbie dolls smile, fake and painted on.

Before the Doctor, Terry and Rose leave the base to return to the Dalek spaceship, the Doctor gives April a gold key on a silver chain. April holds the chain up and examines the markings engraved onto the key.

"It's a Tardis key," The Doctor explains. "Thought it was about time you should have your own."

April continues to stare at the key. "What do you expect me to do with the key for a ship we don't even know the location of?"

The Doctor smiles at April's response. "It glows yellow and increases in heat when the Tardis is moving or is close by."

April sighs as she clasps the key tightly in her hands. "Doctor, my parents and Bruce are still alive in this world," She says. "My father invited me over for tea not so long ago and I saw my mother again and they have their own April and-"

"They're not your parents, April. They belong to another April Hollerford in this world, who I believe is only thirteen years old. Your real parents are dead."

"I was thirteen when my parents died." April mutters.

The Doctor sighs. "You've grown stronger, April. I have noticed. Not only physically in your body, but your personality," He says. "UNIT have built you up stronger. They're good people. You're good for them. And you're doing yourself a favour, April. Keep it up, for me?"

April stares back at the Doctor as he squeezes her arm. He gives her one last tight hug before leaving.

Not long after the Doctor, Rose and Terry return to the Dalek spaceship, April wonders if she will ever see the Doctor like that again. Or if their play at being enemies will last a lifetime.

His last promise to UNIT was that he would sort everything out in the end.

The day wears on and on Major Rodger Barratt's command, UNIT agrees that they will continue with their plan to destroy Battersea power station before the Cybermen upgrades the whole world. Rodger Barratt tries to take their mind away from looking for the Colonel, stating that getting rid of the Cybermen is more of a problem to them now.

That night, April is sitting back in the guest bedroom. She has the small television sitting on the deck, on and she flicks through the channels. Nothing interests her much, except for the announcement of UNIT on the news channel. Placing the television remote on the bed beside her, she watches the interview between a newsreader and two men in black suits. Reading the headlining title: "UNIT for blame of extraterrestrial invasions?" April instantly knows that the two men must be members of the government.

"Is it true that it is believed that UNIT's work is bringing these aliens down into this world?" The newsreader asks.

One of the men in the black suits shifts his position on the sofa as he crosses one leg over the other. "They know what they are doing," He starts. "And in the past they have been a great help to us, but I just don't think that they're needed any more. England is already in trouble with the appearance of the steel men and we have the British army to sort it all out, not UNIT."

The second man speaks. "The trouble is the UNIT base could be anywhere in this city. For all we know they might not be located in London. UNIT will have to come to us because we cannot get to them."

The television screen fuzzes until April can no longer see the image on the screen. April flicks through the channels and each one is the same. Her first thought is that they have lost signal, but as soon as she goes to turn the television off, there is a sudden ear-deafening siren.

April gasps as she clamps her hands over her ears, trying to block out the sound but it makes no difference. The siren rings all through her body as if it is inside her. She jumps off her bed and rushes back into the main office where many members stay over for a night shift. They are also covering their ears but no one knows where the siren is coming from or how to stop it.

But eventually the sound stops by itself, leaving everyone's ears ringing.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Someone snaps.

Ireen frantically types away at her computer until she gets an image of Camden Town. Everyone crowds round to look at the screen. There are hundreds and hundreds of civilians marching in perfect lines across the street. Their focus stares directly ahead and they all step on the same foot in perfect synchronisation. Like an army marching into battle.

There is one man who runs across the street, pushing past others to get to his loved ones. He shakes a female of the same age of himself, shouting at her in a panic. He then moves to the two young children behind her but they pay no attention to him. He screams and yells at them, trying to force them out of their trance but nothing works.

A Cyberman marches towards the man. The man turns to face the steel giant and throws curses at him, but the Cyberman shoots at the man, killing him instantly.

"Looks like they're starting the upgrade." Alic says darkly.

"Why are only some people affected though?" Ireen wonders aloud.

April pulls away from the desk and zips up the front of her hoodie. "We need to get down there and stop them now. Like I said before, attack them when they're least expecting it."

"April." Will starts but she only stops him.

"I am fully aware that Rodger Barratt is not in the base right now and even if he was, I would still say the same thing," She sighs heavily. "I'm going to join the others in the trance."

"No, April, you can't! It's too risky!"

"Do you have a better plan, Lieutenant?" April snaps. "I have a pretty good poker face when I want to, so as long as I don't show any emotions, the Cybermen won't looks twice at me."

"April does have a point," Martha says calmly. "The longer we stay here the more people will be upgraded into Cybermen and that's the last thing we need. If April joins everyone else into Battersea, we can cover her, find a back route and find a way to destroy the power station."

Everyone nods in agreement.

"Any volunteers will be great." April mutters, expecting someone like Jason to step forward. But the person who does surprises her.

Declan Hollerford steps forward. "I'll go with you," He says. "Can't let you do this on your own."


	14. XIII - Battersea attack

**XIII  
Battersea attack**

 _Parallel world  
_ _Parallel Earth  
_ _Parallel Trafalgar Square_

All UNIT soldiers rush around the base as they prepare for the attack on Battersea. They change into their battle uniform and gather as many weapons as they can carry. Ireen gives April and Declan a brief overview of the march, telling them that they must keep in sync with everyone else, and that they must hold a deadpan expression. The Cybermen will be able to detect any falters and if that is the case, they will be deleted on the spot.

"Good luck, buttercup." Jason says before hugging April tightly.

Declan and April stand in the lift, looking at the base one last time before closing the gates. The lift slowly starts to descend.

They are silent for quite some time.

"You okay?" Declan asks after a while.

"I don't know." April replies.

Declan sighs. "If all goes well, the Cybermen will be finished with in no time."

Once the lift stops they step out in Trafalgar Square, automatically in line with everyone else. April keeps her focus fixed on the back of the person's head who is marching in front of her. She tries to steady her breathing as they pass through the city under the starry sky.

To both April and Declan, the march seems like a lifetime as they continually stop marching every so often through the snow covered ground. One time, April stops right beside a Cyberman that looks blankly at her side-on. It is hard for her not to show any emotion of fear on her face as they stay there for a short while, but once they start moving again, April momentarily closes her eyes and breathes out a small sigh of relief when she knows that that Cyberman is far behind her.

After a while, April and Declan notice that they are slowly heading down towards Charing Cross underground station. They descend the stairs and instead of finding themselves walking into the underground they are all so familiar with, they walk into a stone tunnel, very much like the one under the church in Wales. They both know that Charing Cross isn't exactly close to Battersea Power Station but they only march for another five minutes before they arrive there.

In front of them is a large open space filled with hundreds of different square cells. The air around them in the factory is cold and April can see her breath condensing. There is one human being to each cell and she knows it is where they go to be upgraded into a Cyberman.

"You okay?" Declan whispers to April subtly.

"No."

There are two Cybermen at the entrance to the factory, scanning each individual. Depending on what the scanner says, they disperse off to different cells left and right.

April holds her breath when it is her turn to be scanned. She keeps her gaze fixed straight ahead, wondering what she is going to do now she is in Battersea. She just hopes that UNIT have devised a good enough plan while she is there with Declan. The scanner bleeps loudly and April flinches.

"Error." The Cyberman speaks sternly before taking April by the arm and pulling her roughly to the side. Declan, keeping his face expressionless, stays right behind April, his fingers subtly fumbling for the gun in his jacket pocket. The other Cyberman marches to join them. The hypnotised civilians stop marching, causing a slight delay in the process.

"You are April Hollerford, the Ice Girl." The Cyberman announces.

April does nothing but question herself as to why all the aliens label her as the Ice Girl. She then wonders what Declan must be thinking after they called her by the exact same name as his daughter.

The Cyberman speaks to the other. "We have detected the same void around her that's around the Dalek spaceship. She is not from this world therefore she is an enemy to us," The Cyberman turns its head sharply to look at April. "Have you seen the Black Lighthouse flash five times?"

April bites her tongue, holding onto her every urge to not attack the Cyberman there and then. How did the Slitheen, the Daleks and the Cyberman know about the Lighthouse in her nightmare? But April tries her best to still look emotionless.

A small gun spurts from the Cyberman's forearm. It holds the gun to April's forehead as it charges up. However, as it does this there are a few clicks of guns around them.

Suddenly they are surrounded by UNIT officers. April holds her gun steadily in both her hands, aiming it at the Cyberman in front of her.

"Shoot her and the whole factory blows up." Ireen aims her gun at the Cyberman, and so does Declan. The other Cyberman aims its gun to Ireen which results in Harry Summerland aiming his gun at that Cyberman.

April glances at them before a smirk breaks out on her face as she looks back at the Cyberman in front of her. Soon enough, Will, Jason, Sarah-Jane, Alic, Martha and a fair few other soldiers of UNIT push through the line of people and approach the two Cybermen, aiming their weapons at them.

"Why was UNIT not affected?" The Cyberman almost shouts, yet its voice is still quite flat and robotic.

"You tell us," Will hisses. "You tried to create your own army but you don't have the power to outsmart us."

"As an Officer Cadet of the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce, I order you to lower your weapon!" Alic orders but the Cyberman ignores him. Its weapon continues to charge and April knows that it will be easy for the Cyberman to shoot her. Yet the threat of being killed by the steel man does not scare her as she continues to glare at the Cyberman's deadpan face, her natural scowl very prominent.

"The thirteen year old April Hollerford from this world has in fact already been upgraded into a Cyberman." The Cyberman announces.

April notices Declan's shuffle on the spot from the corner of her eye but she does not lower her weapon.

No one says anything until there is another loud siren, just like the one before. Soon enough, all the people that are stood in the line fall out of their trance. Dazed and confused, they try to get their bearings as to where they are. Shortly, screams echo across the factory as everyone starts to run away to safety. They push past other Cybermen and ignore the soldiers of UNIT who still have their weapons raised. The Cybermen try to stop them but the power of human fear and wish for survival is too strong for them to capture anyone.

"This is only just the beginning," The Cyberman says. "You still have to defeat the Daleks and the Doctor. Or you could join us. Be part of the Cyberman army."

"Go to hell." Declan hisses before shooting the Cyberman, killing it instantly. The other Cyberman vanishes from sight just as the factory starts to shake. Dust from the walls starts to cloud the air and the machinery sparks and sets alight.

"We'd better go," Martha warns. "The others have set the bomb. It's due to blow soon."

With that they run through the factory and the winding tunnel. The tunnel suddenly seems a lot longer than it was the first time April and Declan marched through it.

Fire spreads out across the factory, jumping from one cell to the other, completely destroying the technology and any other remaining Cybermen that don't manage to escape in time. They all start to panic as they try to find the exit but the tunnel seems to be growing longer and longer the further they run.

But they are too late.

The explosion starts in one corner of the factory and within seconds the whole of the Battersea power station crumbles in the explosion.

The whole city shakes from the explosion. Heads are turned in the direction of where the explosion comes from and the survivors of the attack continues to run away as far away as they can. The UNIT soldiers fall backwards from the blow of the explosion, landing in the rubble. The ceiling to the power station falls on top of them, fire flickering everywhere.

Soon there is nothing but smoke and rubble.

No one knows how long they have been lying in the rubble before gaining consciousness.

April's arms wobble as she tries to roll over on her front and crawl her way through the rubble. Her vision is blurred but she can just about make figures of the other soldiers through the thick smoke. She hears nothing but the ringing in her ears.

No one else is able to find one another as their ears are blocked with the ringing and every time they open their mouths, they choke of the fumes from the fire. Wounds spread across different bodies and several never move again.

After what feels like forever, April makes her way to someone who she isn't quite sure of whom it is. They grip onto her arms and pull her towards them. She can just about make out a male's voice saying something but doesn't know what. Her body aches badly and she coughs from the smoke around them.

Eventually, her vision comes back to her and she finds Alic shouting for Martha. April then realises that she has been rolled into the recovery position and Alic has his fingers wrapped tightly around her right wrist.

That is when the slight pain and discomfort starts to kick in when she sees the deep partial thickness burn all the way up her forearm. All the scars that she had created into her skin herself are now covered over by a deep burning red colour, her skin peeling away.

April stares down at her right forearm and starts shaking but does not find her voice to scream.

Soon enough, Martha rushes to her side and strokes the side of April's face, her muffled voice telling her that it is going to be okay. April just nods as the ringing in her ears starts to slowly fade away. She catches the tail end of what Martha is informing Alic, telling him that the soldiers who set off the bomb have not been found and that they have found seven dead. Alic orders her to keep searching.

However both of them turn a sharp attention to something over April's head, their faces reading something of shock and bewilderment.

Pulling her arm free from Alic's grip, April rolls over to see what it is that has caught their attention.

There is a man in his late thirties lying on his stomach, looking at Ireen who is lying beside him. His black hair is stuck down to his face with sweat and his eyes are ablaze with anger and revenge. His face is dusty with soot just like everyone else. He wears the black UNIT uniform and April knows that she has never seen this man before in the base. His teeth are clenched together tightly.

"Colonel?" Ireen says attentively after a long while.

Colonel Brimikawood breathes out deeply and speaks in a low, gruff voice, still looking directly at Ireen. "I'm back in charge and I'm in a bloody foul move. So would you kindly move your arses!"


	15. XIV - Colonel Brimikawood

**XIV  
Colonel Brimikawood**

 _Parallel World  
_ _UNIT base_

The UNIT base is quiet when they return, battered and bruised. With the determination they have left, some manage to escape the rubble before the fire engines come. Others stayed to move the dead bodies, allowing the medics to collect them once the ambulance arrives.

No one wants to talk about the explosion of Battersea seeing as about fifty UNIT members are in hospital, severely wounded and some were killed.

Declan is taken home. He has suffered a couple of light burns from the explosion but after hearing the death and upgrade of his daughter, he couldn't face going back to the base with everyone else. Colonel Brimikawood tries his best to cheer everyone up, staying strong for them and saying that they cannot back out of the situation because of what has just happened. They will fight for their lost soldiers.

Colonel Brimikawood marches around the base just like he always used to do. But everyone wants to know more about the Colonel. Where did he go? Why did he go? And how did he come back? As the Colonel marches across the base, his hair perfectly gelled, his suit neat and smart, he tries to push the questions away. He wants to pretend that his disappearance never happened.

"More of that later." His voice is still low and gruff.

Colonel Brimikawood joins Ireen and Jason who are working out the percentage number of Cybermen left.

"We've killed quite a big percentage of the Cyberman army," Ireen says. "And our mission was successful; there is no way they will be able to upgrade the human race," She sighs. "But that doesn't mean that they won't attack us seeing as we are now clear enemies to them. There are still quite a lot of Cybermen left."

"Maybe the Daleks will kill them for us." Jason suggests.

"And us at the same time." The Colonel mutters before marching across the base, giving orders to certain soldiers. Everyone obeys his orders without further ado and seem glad to do so.

As April watches him while she sits on the officer's desk, she wonders if UNIT were always like the way they are now before he disappeared. The way the Colonel jumps around the base and giving orders to everyone and the soldiers happily doing so. Everything seems to run smoothly, almost as if the Colonel's appearance solves all. Everyone does everything he tells them to do and this time no one seems reluctant like they were under Major Rodger Barratt's orders.

April's scowl deepens again as she starts to wonder where Rodger Barratt is. He has mysteriously disappeared since Colonel Brimikawood appeared. Nor does she remember seeing him at the scene at Battersea Power Station.

The Colonel returns back to Ireen and Jason and looks at their notes. Since the Colonel has come back no one mentions that Major Rodger Barratt has mysteriously vanished from the base, although everyone has noticed it and quietly asks one another.

After Colonel Brimikawood speaks to Jason and Ireen, he slowly turns to face April who is sitting up on the desk further down from them. He smirks before he approaches her.

April glares up at the Colonel as he stands opposite her. Her burnt arm has been smothered in the company's cool healing cream before being bandaged up in several layers.

"How are you, April?" Colonel Brimikawood asks as he pulls out a small torch and shines it in her eyes. His thumb and forefinger rests lightly on her chin, holding her head still in place as he inspects one eye at a time.

"Fine." April replies as she squints in the bright light of his torch.

He examines April a little longer then he probably should have but he can't help but notice that she has very similar facial features to Declan. He also notes to himself that she isn't from their world but says nothing about it.

April studies the Colonel's hard and sharp features. His piercing grey eyes bore into hers, and his dark eyebrows are pulled together in concentration. He has a somewhat, dark and moody face but any show of emotion, whether it is happiness or sorrow isn't very evident. It is like he is purposefully trying to hide something from everyone. What happened to him? Or has he always been like this?

"Where did you go?" April asks but immediately feels a little guilty for being so nosey.

"A friend of the Doctor's I assume?" He replies, completely ignoring her.

April nods. "As are you."

The Colonel's half smirk is very similar to Will's. "We have been for quite some time now."

"He's spoken a lot of you."

"I'm sure he has," He picks up the paperwork beside her. "How did you find the training period?"

"Easy." April says trying to make a joke about it but it comes across stubbornly.

"I can see. Your scores are very high, especially in the intelligence week," He smiles at April, the skin around his eyes crinkling. "You should be proud," He then lifts April's chin and turns it from side-to-side as he examines her face again. "Have you had any other problems other than your burns from the explosion? Hallucinations? Loss of sight? Sound? Touch? Lack or speech or loss of memory?"

"No." Other than getting her memory back of where she was before she came here, but she keeps that thought to herself. "Sir..."

The Colonel releases her face before scribbling something down on a medical form. "Well you're in working order and it will take around eight weeks for your burn to fully heal. Your skin will grow over, covering up any cuts, bruises or scars that may have been there before." He smiles at April again. From the way he emphasised scars, it is evident that he knows about the ones up of left wrist that have started to fade over the months. "Now I'm back, I can officially welcome you to UNIT. United Nations Intelligence Taskforce. Welcome, April. Minus the rank, you are one of us now," he smirks. "I mean if you want to stay with us, I am sure I can set you up with basic training."

April nods, feeling bizarrely shell-shocked, but doesn't manage to actually find the words to thank him. "Sir." She says clearing her throat.

"No more questions, soldier. I don't want to talk about that here. I have returned and that it all that matters to my company."

"What are we to do now?" April quickly says.

Colonel Brimikawood breathes out deeply as he raises his eyebrows. He then turns to everyone else and speaks loudly, drawing all attention to him immediately. "Now Battersea is destroyed our job is to find the remaining Cybermen. We need to find out exactly why they were chasing after the Daleks to put them in so much fear," He pauses for a moment. "There's not much more we can do about the Daleks until the Doctor comes back, and he'd bloody well have a good reason as to why he has sided with them."

"He didn't even explain when he came over yesterday." Martha says dully.

The Colonel nods. "But our main priority is the Cybermen. And from now on, we are to be prepared for battle at all times. We never know when we may be ambushed and for all we know, we may be the ones to ambush the Cybermen again," He then smiles. "Or not." He clasps his hands together as everyone goes back to work.

A moment later and they receive a video call from the British army. Everyone crowds around the large holographic screen up on the wall as Colonel Brimikawood reluctantly answers the call. The screen shows an image of the General and two Captains. To April's surprise, no one salutes.

"Finally glad to see your return, Colonel Brimikawood," The General snarls. "What is going on?"

The Colonel's low, gruff voice almost has a mocking tone to it. "We've just saved the country from being upgraded into Cybermen. I'm waiting for you to thank me."

"You are treading on dangerous grounds here, Colonel! Is this some kind of joke to you?"

"Did I say it was?"

"The whole world is in a panic about the Cybermen. We're getting messages across the globe, some threatening the country and some offering very little help. Most of our messages have threatened to put England under quarantine to stop the steel men from crossing borders."

"Cybermen," Colonel Brimikawood corrects. "If you are not aware already, we will be the first victims of the Cybermen. We're the ones who destroyed their plan of upgrading the human race; therefore they will come to us first. They will only start moving abroad once we're dead."

"How can you be so sure?"

The Colonel snorts. "You're yet to meet a revenge filled alien, sir. They won't get you unless we're dead. We've stopped them once and we can do it again," He takes a step forward. "I just ask you to _trust_ us. We know what we're doing."

The General glares at them for a while before sighing. "Fine, but it is all part of your final warning."

The Colonel frowns, clearly unaware that they are on their final warning. He is not even aware that they have been put on any warning. "Final warning, sir?"

"You've been missing for a while, Colonel. Maybe you are not up for the job any more."

Colonel Brimikawood saying nothing more, but continues to stare up at the General.

"England is at war. Don't let us down, UNIT."

The screen goes blank.


	16. XV - A softer side to Will Sullivan

**XV  
A softer side to Lieutenant Will Sullivan**

 _Parallel London  
_ _UNIT base_

The following afternoon, April sits on the low wall at the edge of the roof, looking over the quiet streets of London. The sky is clouded over with thick clouds that have more of a brown hue to them, almost as if the sky is polluted with dust particles. The wind is slightly chilly for an early summer's afternoon. April spends most of the afternoon on the roof, not entirely sure as to what she is supposed to do. Everyone has set out their weapons and battle plans for every possible outcome.

The army can been seen from April's view marching around the streets, protecting homes and families, yet there is no sign of Cybermen anywhere. UNIT regularly check the news but nothing is heard of the Cybermen. They are just simply waiting for the arrival of the Doctor.

Although no one says it, everyone knows that the world will be in grave danger once the Daleks land and there is nothing they can do to stop them now.

In the meantime, like always, April still suffers from her nightmare and the fiery pain in her chest only increases. As well as being afraid of an upcoming battle, she is also afraid for the pain from her nightmare. She is also afraid as to why the Doctor even thought about teaming up with the Daleks because no matter what his original plan was, he has put everyone else in even more danger than they were before.

"I see you've taken my place."

April jumps at the sound of the voice but only turns to see Will Sullivan standing a few paces behind her. He has two mugs of tea in his hands, made by Ireen, she can tell. He smiles briefly before joining April on the wall, passing one of the mugs to her who takes it gratefully.

"You're stressed out too?" He asks calmly.

"Just a little," She sighs. "Not being entirely sure of what the outcome will be once the Daleks arrive, apart from a war, is not exactly calming. And I'm bored of waiting. It feels as if it's all we're doing."

"Yeah but nothing is ever calm in UNIT. Get used to it."

April says nothing as she sips her hot herbal tea. There is silence for a little while, but it is a comfortable silence as they look out over London.

"Haven't heard from Declan since Battersea," Will says. "I hope he's alright."

April says nothing on the case of the death of her parallel self as she is still in shock over it. Although she never met her parallel self, it does strike her as weird to think that she was thirteen years old when her parents died, but in this world, April died at the age of thirteen. Although they are parallel worlds, there are clear links between them.

"You haven't spoken much to the Colonel since he returned," April says, changing the subject. "I mean I haven't even seen the two of you communicate yet. Thought you were friends."

Will sighs as he shifts on the wall. "We're busy."

"Technically we're not," April mutters as she keeps her gaze on the city. "We're just waiting. I thought you would be pleased that he's returned like everyone else is."

There is another comfortable silence between April and Will as they drink their tea. April studies Will's face and notices that his eyes look softer, less hard than they were before. She watches the way he breathes, the way his blond hair bristles in the wind and the way his thumb lightly strokes the side of his mug. She can see that there is a softer side to Will, rather than the arrogant, brash side he tends to show. She sighs as she suddenly feels secure in his presence, which is the first time since they met. Their conversation is calm and quiet as April gets Will to tell her more about UNIT's past.

Will explains most of his story from when he first came to UNIT, missing out some minor details he wants to keep to himself. He joined UNIT six years ago when he was sixteen and at first, formed a close friendship with Harry, who was only thirty years old at the time, Alic and someone else called Monroe who left not so long ago. Will was eighteen when he first met the Doctor and April notices his reluctance to talk about him.

"I don't mean to pry or anything, but is there something going on between you and the Doctor?"

Will looks pinched. "It's nothing."

April sighs and knows she shouldn't have asked but she can't help but wonder after seeing the tension between the two when they met. There is a lot of things the Doctor keeps secret from April and some of them are better knowing.

"The Doctor is my friend," She says. "And he's messed up for some particular reason. We need to help him. All of us need to help." April chews on her bottom lip for a moment.

Will nods. "You're not like the Doctor at all. Although warming up to us was hard for you, you always want to help everyone out all the time."

"And how does that differ from the Doctor?" April wonders as she thinks about the many different planets the Doctor goes out to save when in crisis.

"He only helps those who he believes deserves it."

April purses her lips. "Why wouldn't you deserve the Doctor's help?"

Will smiles and shakes his head as if to say that he doesn't know either. "That's what makes you so wonderful, April. Ireen was saying this the other day. We've never had anyone who cared for UNIT as much as you do. When you came to the base, you didn't have to stick around or help us out or even take part in the training course. But you chose to. And ignoring everything that Rodger Barratt said to you, you still hold on to us," He looks at her for a long while. "I'm so lucky to have someone like you in my life."

April is suddenly aware of the way Will holds her gaze before he shyly looking away. The words run through April's mind on replay, thinking over and over again what Will had just said. But Will casually turns to look out at the city, gulping down the rest of his tea, just as if he hadn't said anything in the first place. She can't help but notice a small hint of embarrassment on his face.

"Are you confessing an attraction to me?" She asks, a small shocked laugh escaping her lips.

Will looks at her with his eyes and he smirks. A slight hint of arrogance shines across his face. "Take note, April. It's taken you long enough."

April stares at Will before looking away immediately and recoiling into herself, panicking at the mere thought of Will having so much emotion for her. He didn't say that he is in love with her or anything of the sort, but his words are evident enough to explain that he is attracted to her at the least. He did ask her out months ago – she remembers – but that was only to have sex to please him. But this time he looks like he means what he is saying.

And this panics April immensely. No one other than her parents had told her they loved her. The thought of someone loving her somewhat terrifies her. She is scared of someone putting so much faith in her, or her putting so much faith in someone else. It is something she can't bring herself to handle.

"Will," April starts in a weak voice. "I can't be dealing with anything emotional right now," She tries to ignore the way Will's face drops. "I'm here to help UNIT, just as I've been told to. I can't take part in romantic affairs. I'm sorry." As she says this, she is suddenly reminded of the fortune teller she met under the church in Wales. The memory of what cards were shown is hazy yet she remembers the recurring warning of change needing to happen. Then one of the cards mentioned a possible love affair.

April shakes her head, pushing the memory to the side. She can't let tarot cards rule her life. She stands up. "You're probably not used to being rejected," she says in a joking manner but realises that her words are coming across as more hurtful. "But I really can't handle this and I don't know if I feel the same way."

"Because I'm an arrogant bastard?" Will mutters.

His words pinches April but her hesitation is enough for him. Will looks out over London, the hard look in his eyes returns.

"I'm sorry. I just don't think I can handle it." Then wanting to desperately leave the scene, April turns and walks across the roof, a part of her hoping that Will will follow her and say something, and the other part of her is glad that he doesn't.

April does not see Will for the rest of the day, but she finds herself being so caught up in helping pre-battle preparations with everyone else that she doesn't notice to begin with.

Colonel Brimikawood spends most of the day questioning nearly everyone about Major Rodger Barratt and his recent behaviour. Since they blew up Battersea, the Major has vanished and the Colonel knows that it is some sort of trick.

Late evening falls and most of the members are still buzzing around the base. The Colonel is now waiting for a phone call from Declan. April sits beside Jason as they too wait, curious as to how Declan and Suzette are getting along after the death of their daughter. They all wait patiently, doing their work quietly as Jason continues to yawn loudly. He clasps a mug of strong coffee in his hands.

Then the phone rings.

Colonel Brimikawood jumps to his feet and answers the phone. Everyone carries on with their work but listens to everything that the Colonel says, wanting to know how Declan is.

April watches the Colonel as his face drops to a very solemn but serious facial expression.

"Where was he when it happened?" The Colonel orders down the phone and from the question, everyone knows that it isn't Declan who has called. As he listens to the voice down the end of the line he pulls at the top of his hair in frustration.

April and Jason exchange glances as they know that something is wrong.

"Alright," The Colonel says in his usual deep and gruff voice. "We'll be over in a minute." He slams the phone back onto its cradle and shouts out Martha's name instantly, making most round him jump in fright. His loud, panicked voice, calling for help, echoes across the base.

Everyone stops what they are doing to look at their Colonel who suddenly looks very shaken. For a moment no one knows what to do. They have never seen their Colonel in this state before.

April and Jason jump to their feet.

"What's happened, sir?" Jason asks but Colonel Brimikawood doesn't reply. He rubs his clean shaven jawline with his hands, almost if it is a nervous reaction, before turning to put on his long grey coat.

The lift ascends and out steps Martha. She marches hurriedly towards the Colonel and salutes. Her face is serious but she then notices how troublesome the Colonel looks.

"I believe this is an urgent matter, sir." Martha says.

The Colonel fumbles around his desk, picking up his keys and a few bits and pieces. "Doctor Jones, we're going to the Summerland's household. Bring all your first aid and medical kits with you. Anything you own you can bring." He hurriedly stuffs things into his coat pockets and although his voice is still low and gruff, his hands shake and his bottom lip quivers.

"Permission to ask what the matter is, sir?"

The Colonel stops what he is doing to look at Martha. His voice is low. "Lieutenant Sullivan was attacked by a Cyberman out on the street. About an hour ago," He ignores April and Jason who stir beside him. "We don't know how or why. He's lucky he's still alive. For how long though they don't know. He was on his way to meet up with the Summerland's. Harry found him out in the streets and took him back to their house. They need you to heal him, Martha" He then turns to Jason. "Captain, send the Doctor a message, tell him to come to the Summerland household immediately without fail. I don't care if he's lovingly stroking the Daleks, we _need_ him!" He throws what looks like a black wallet to Jason but once Jason catches it, April instantly recognises it as psychic paper.

"Yes, sir." Jason says sternly before turning to his own desk. Martha runs to her desk and collects all her medical kit from her drawers.

The Colonel starts to march towards the lift in silence as everyone rushes around the base doing their best to get more members from the medical team to go and help.

April stands and watches the Colonel and Martha step into the lift, speechless from the news of Will. But after a moment, she runs after them and into the lift before the gates close. Neither Martha nor the Colonel say anything to her as she settles behind them.

Their breathing is heavy and shaky as the lift rumbles as it descends. When the lift eventually stops with a jerky halt, Colonel Brimikawood yanks open the gates and they step out into an empty living room.

Compared to the large spacious living room filled with books back at the Hollerford mansion, the room is a little smaller and seems warm with its thick rug, cosy fireplace and patchwork sofas. For a moment, nothing can be heard apart from the crackling fire in the fireplace, until Will screams in the next room.

"Jesus!" The Colonel mutters under his breath before running across the living room and into the kitchen.

The kitchen at first looks crowded but Martha pushes her way through to get to Will. A couple of other doctors from UNIT has stripped all of Will's clothes off and tries to pin him down onto the large wooden table.

Will screams out in agony and wriggles around in their grips. One of the doctor's mentions that they need to put his dislocated shoulder back in place. As the others hold him down, a nurse fixes Will's shoulder back in place with a loud crunch, followed by Will's scream.

April takes a step forward into the kitchen to observe the scene. Will's naked body is covered in blood. Scars are cut across all his muscular limbs and most of the scars look as if it has not been cut with an ordinary knife. April wants to help him but she is frozen to the spot. Her mind goes blank with shock and she isn't too sure herself what to do.

Martha, pushing April out the way, opens her large medical bag and starts to work on Will. She takes out many different ointments, pouring them over his scars, followed by cream. She orders someone to inject morphine into him but the drug does nothing to ease his pain.

Will has stopped screaming but continues to whimper. His breaths are short as he tries to gulp for air and his pupils are dilated as he stares up at the ceiling.

Across the room is the Doctor. He holds up a Dalek eyepiece, shining it on Will. He speaks quickly as he describes the scene and from the tone of his voice, April knows that he is talking to Terry. She can imagine Terry being able to see the scene from the Dalek spaceship through that eyepiece, analysing the scars on Will's body and discovering what it was the Cyberman did to him. The Doctor paces around the table, weaving in and out of everyone else as he speaks. A deep scowl forms on his face and for a split moment, the Doctor suddenly reminds April of herself.

Moments pass and one of the nurses, after taking a blood sample, discovers that Will's blood has been poisoned.

There is a quick moment of hesitation as everyone looks at one another fearfully before they run about, working even harder on Will. They use a load of different solutions and most of them April has never heard of before.

Seeing the deep cuts all over Will's withering body, April self-consciously pulls at her hoodie sleeves, thinking that her self-harm scars and new burn is nothing compared to what Will has. Her self inflicted scars are selfish. Just as she is thinking this, April catches the Doctor's eye. For a split moment he looks sympathetic as if he has just read her thoughts, but he then shakes his head almost to tell her not to compare her scars to Will's.

The Doctor is then quickly distracted by Colonel Brimikawood. The two move on to the corner of the kitchen as they speak quietly to one another. Their chat looks more like an argument.

"Thought you might need one of these."

April can smell camomile quite strongly as she turns to see Harry standing beside her, holding a large mug of camomile tea. The mug is shaking in his grasp so April takes it gratefully, whispering a thanks. Harry's face is pale and he looks fearful for Will's state. But then April knows that she probably doesn't look any better. Harry passes her a couple of chocolate digestives.

"It'd be best for you to take a good night's sleep, April," Harry says. "Ireen has made up the spare bedroom for you. It's better for you to go."

April purses her lips as she realises that it is Harry's polite way of telling her that she should leave the room because she is in the way. But after thinking about it, April realises how sick she suddenly starts to feel. She turns her attention to her tea. "Sleeping will never make it easier," She manages to say in a small voice before looking at Harry and speaking a little more confidently. "I suppose it's not easy to see your best friend like this. What happened?"

Harry breathes out deeply. "We don't know. Will was meant to come here for a drink. I knew he was unhappy about something earlier. Then after hearing Will's cries from down the road, I found him lying out on the street. The Cyberman simply vanished once it saw me but I took Will back here," Harry looks down at the time. "It's nearly midnight so I found him nearly two hours ago," He then looks at Will on the table. "It's going to depend on if we can get him out of this mess." Harry forces himself to smile before walking away.

April places her tea and biscuits on the side before going to join the Doctor and the Colonel in their quiet but heated discussion. April catches them talking about Will's fate when she reaches them, but knowing the Doctor, she can guess that he quickly changed the subject after feeling her presence.

The Doctor and Colonel Brimikawood, both being tall men, tower over April as they look down at her.

The Doctor sighs. "I don't understand," He starts. "Since when did the Cybermen ever physically attack their enemies?"

"He's lucky he wasn't killed on the spot." The Colonel mumbles.

"And I wonder why it didn't do so."

"Where did you get that from?" April asks pointing at the Dalek eyepiece.

The Doctor looks down at it for a moment. "Rose found it in one of the rooms on the Dalek spaceship. In fact it was a man made control room."

April glares at the Doctor. "And where are Rose and Terry?"

"They're still on the Dalek spaceship." The Doctor speaks slowly, almost as if he too suddenly realises that he shouldn't have left them alone on the Dalek spaceship once again. He understands why April seems so irritated by it. He is leaving them in danger once more.

"You've left them alone with the Daleks again?" April snaps a little louder than she intends. She holds in her anger for a moment. She opens her mouth to say something to the Doctor but briefly turns to Colonel Brimikawood. "Excuse me a moment, sir," she sharply turns back to the Doctor and hisses through gritted teeth. "I can't believe how bloody irresponsible you're being!"

The Doctor momentarily closes his eyes. "Please don't lecture me, April."

"Oh I have the _right_ to lecture you for your lackadaisical actions!"

"I haven't been lackadaisical about this!"

"You say that you're always trying to save and help everyone but it seems like whenever you help, you put more people in danger! And leaving Rose and Terry with Daleks isn't such a great idea. Oh but maybe is doesn't matter so much seeing as you're licking their arses!"

The Doctor turns to go.

"And don't you dare walk away from me when I haven't finished, Doctor!"

The Doctor pulls April by her burnt wrist and drags her into the living room. April holds in a yelp of pain as they hurry out the kitchen.

"I hate arguing with you, April." The Doctor snaps.

"Then help me out a little here! What are you doing? And what can UNIT do to help?"

The Doctor rubs his eyes and then runs his fingers through his hair, like he usually does when frustrated. "I promised your father that I would look after you and keep you safe no matter what the cost is. And the cost was to team up with the Daleks."

"But now they want to exterminate me and you _agreed_ to it."

"There wasn't much I could do about that," The Doctor looks at April hard. "I'm devising a plan," He fumbles with the eyepiece, making sure that it is turned off. "I know exactly what the Daleks plan to do when we hit Earth and I know what to do to stop them and destroy them plus the rest of the Cybermen. They plan to override the Cybermen and the world as part of their revenge for spending so long in fear of what they didn't know. Now they know that they've been tortured by the Cybermen, they just want revenge. You just need to stay with UNIT, like I said before. I will kill the Daleks before they can even get close to you. There will be a battle."

"Yeah we guessed that already. You said that we need the Colonel. Now we've got him back, what do we do?"

"The Colonel will help UNIT with the battle. I will get on with my plans. Seeing as you haven't guessed already, I've only tricked the Daleks. I'm giving them false hope in having my help before I destroy them."

April feels like she wants to smile at the Doctor's cunning trick with the Daleks but she also feels that with everything that has happened with Will, she can't. "I'm dead in this world," She mentions. "When we broke into Battersea, the Cyberman caught Declan and I and said that my parallel self has been upgraded into a Cyberman."

"She is not you and they are not your parents."

"What does that mean, Doctor?" April hisses. "My parallel-self died at the age of thirteen. Does that mean I'm going to die? Am I going to be killed and upgraded into some kind of Dalek or something?" April sighs. "Oh wait, you've already allowed the Daleks to want to torture me before upgrading me into one. I knew that there are definite links to these two worlds."

"No," The Doctor spits. "I won't let that happen."

"But you always say that, Doctor. What happens if you're wrong?" April sighs when the Doctor doesn't reply. "What happens if your plan fails in battle? Will you just make it up as you go along?"

"Yep. But I do it very well though, you have to admit it." The Doctor chuckles slightly, hoping April would too but she doesn't. "Do you know what it is about parallel worlds, April? If a human being is alive in one world it means that their parallel self in another world had an existence but is already dead. UNIT is alive in this world but are dead in yours. They have memories of me working with them but none of the Battle of the Cytracik because that happened in your world. They are not aware that you are from a parallel world to theirs. Well not yet anyway. You are alive in your world but your parallel-self died in this world. If you died in your world then your parallel self would still be alive here. That's the way it works. You can never have the same person living in different worlds at the same time; it's what opens the hole in existence. For a start, we shouldn't even be here."

April just nods as her breathing becomes shaky. "Well neither of us asked for this to happen."

"Forgive me?" The Doctor asks.

April hesitates in thought for a moment before lightly punching his arm in a playful manner. "I am saving your life as much as you're saving mine."

"And you're in a hell of a lot more trouble than I am. I promise we'll be back in our world soon," he smiles briefly. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm okay"

"No, April, how _are_ you?" The Doctor glances at her wrists.

"Better than before. I promise you."

The Doctor goes to hug April but Will lets out another scream of pain. The Doctor looks over to the kitchen. "He always gets in the bloody way." The Doctor mutters under his breath before turning to go back into the kitchen.

"I don't know why you and Will don't like each other but he's not the arrogant guy he seems to be on the outside." April calls after him but the Doctor ignores her.

In the kitchen everyone is around the table holding Will down as Martha tries to set up a syringe with a shaking hand. Will screams and screams as the poison slowly kills his insides.

"The drug hasn't even been tested yet!" The Colonel shouts as he holds onto Will's head with both his hands. "How do you know it won't kill him?"

"It's all we've got!" Martha cries. "We have nothing else to remove the poison. There's a fifty percent chance of this saving him," She turns to look at Will. "I'm so sorry, Will."

Colonel Brimikawood continues to glare at Martha before looking down at Will. His face shows so much emotion, clear that he is afraid to lose him.

Martha nods to the Doctor before injecting the drug into Will's neck.

Will's cries cease suddenly and his body stops shaking. Everyone watches him in silence as his eyes close and limbs relax in their grips. But he is alive. His breathing is slow and steady. He has fallen asleep.

To everyone's relief, the drug works.

April, who is leaning against the wooden door frame, covers her mouth with her hand, also relieved that he has survived the drug. Like most people in the room, she has a sudden overwhelming urge to start crying but she holds back her tears.

"All poison will be removed in the next five hours, or till he wakes up next. He must rest until he is healthy again," One of the nurses says before turning to Harry and Ireen. "The Calendula ointment should be rubbed into his cuts three times a day and the bandages would have to be replaced at the same time. He will heal in no time but his mental stability after this traumatic event may be different."

April watches the Colonel as he looks down at the ground chewing on his bottom lip. "You're all dismissed," He says quietly. "Thank you for your work."

"Someone should stay with him for the night." Martha suggests.

"I will," April offers before anyone else does. "You've all worked hard enough."

The Colonel watches April suspiciously as everyone eventually agrees before walking off. He then places a hand on her shoulder and thanks her before walking through the door which will take them straight into the lift.

Harry squeezes April's arm and Ireen hugs her.

"We're upstairs if you need us at all." Ireen says before they both retire to their bedroom.

April looks at the Doctor who is standing at the other side of the table. He looks angry and yet curious. One eyebrow is raised questioningly.

"Don't say anything." She mumbles, not caring about his past with Will, or whatever rivalry there is between them for the time being.

"Just be careful, please?"

She looks up at the Doctor and nods. "You too," She says. "And I'll see you in three days."

"Three days and this will be over in no time." The Doctor gives April's hand a reassuring squeeze before vanishing back into the Dalek spaceship.

The kitchen feels eerily quiet now that everyone has left. April turns the lights down low and sits on a wooden stool watching Will's peaceful state. After watching him for a while, April pours cold water into bucket and rinses out a flannel. She then goes back to sit by Will.

For a long while, she studies his face without the smirk or the slight arrogance in his eyes. There is a real beauty to his face and April can really see the sweet, caring man he covers up with arrogance. She can't see why. Confidence issues? Something in his past? April doesn't know but she wishes that he doesn't feel the need to use arrogance as an outer shell.

April sighs. "Why do you like me the way to do?" She whispers. "What do you see in me?"

April hesitates a fair few times before reaching out and brushing his blond hair off his sweaty forehead. Once her fingers touch his hot skin she suddenly warms up to him. She places her palm to his forehead feeling all the heat. A sudden emotion of love and an urge to protect him comes over her. All fear of having too much emotional impact on someone else rushes away from and she is not afraid to admit to herself how Will intrigues her so much, and has done since the day they met.

Will stirs a little and his eyes open slowly. April quickly pulls her hand away as Will's eyes weakly glances around the room before locking onto hers. He smiles weakly.

"Hey, April." He croaks.

She shushes him gently as she gingerly dabs his head with the wet flannel. He flinches when she brushes a scar.

"April," He starts. "I'm sorry for getting myself into this mess."

"No please, Will, don't apologise for that. The Doctor is always discovering new things about the Cybermen. We can work our way round this and you'll be on the mend soon."

Will's fingers reach for her free hand and April allows him to hold onto her for a moment.

"You should get some rest." He whispers.

April shushes him again as she gently strokes his cheek with the back of her fingers. "I'm not going anywhere." She looks at him for a while longer and using all the courage she can muster, she leans down and plants a gentle kiss on his forehead.

She moves away from him afterwards, feeling a little shaky.

"Hey," Will croaks with a weak smirk. "You missed a spot." He jokes before pouting his lips slightly, making it evident that she should have kissed him on the lips.

April smiles at this as she looks away, embarrassed.

For the rest of the night, she sits by Will's side, watching him sleep as she holds one of his hands in both of hers.


	17. XVI - When the truth is discovered

**XVI  
When the truth is discovered**

 _Parallel World  
_ _Parallel London  
_ _UNIT base_

The rumble of the lift seems so familiar to Colonel Brimikawood as he stands waiting to be taken down. The memories of being transported into another dimension and being tortured, not only by his own fears and loneliness, but also of the creatures there, play on his mind all the time. He tries his hardest to distract himself by working for the upcoming battle but he panics himself from the slightest sound, colour or image that reminds him of that dimension.

After visiting his local doctor's surgery, he was informed that he is suffering post-traumatic stress disorder and have been given pills to apparently ease his mind. The doctor believes that he will be back to normal within a couple of months. However this doctor also doesn't know what Colonel Brimikawood went through. He is unsure himself if he will ever be the same again.

The Colonel was never religious in his lifetime, but he is certain he was locked away in hell. Especially after seeing the figure of the man, covered by a black veil and carrying a single red candle.

Now he struggles to sleep at night since he returned to UNIT, afraid to be alone for too long, but as the nights wear on he realises that he isn't the only one who stays up all night. He is used to staying awake most of the time while working away with the Doctor, but he never expected to see April avoiding sleep too.

The night after Will was attacked, Colonel Brimikawood gets into the lift which takes him down into the UNIT store room. When he steps out of the lift, he finds April on the other side of the room with her back to him. She is silently working away on something, and it isn't until the Colonel gets close to her that he realises that she is piecing together a few guns. Sitting on the wooden box to her left are about a dozen weapons she has repaired and on the box to her right are stray weapon pieces.

The Colonel stands by and watches her as she tries to fit all the pieces together in frustration, but he knows that her mind is elsewhere and that she is only doing this to occupy herself as the time passes. April grits her teeth and her hands start to shake as they slip. She groans in pain as she accidentally cuts her finger on a sharp edge of the weapon.

"You shouldn't really force yourself to work like that when your mind is elsewhere, April. It counts for everyone here." The Colonel says in his usual gruff voice.

April hesitates as she looks at the Colonel with her eyes before returning to fix the gun. "But I'm not a true soldiers here though. I'm just with the Doctor."

Colonel Brimikawood perches on the edge of the box to April's right, watching her hands as they work around the weapon.

"You're bleeding, April."

"I'll live." She says indifferently.

The Colonel sighs as he watches the way April's hands work around the gun. He then reaches out and holds onto her wrists firmly. April stops working and glares at him.

"Stop it, April."

April does what she is told and puts the gun back down with the others. She then turns and leans heavily against the box, folding her arms across her chest.

"Have you ever fired a gun before?" The Colonel asks.

"Excluding the training course, I haven't. Nor do I even intend to unless I have to."

"And I hope you never do."

April hesitates again before putting the gun down. She has a headache which has been constant all day and she can't take it any more. She rubs her forehead, keeping her eyes closed.

"So..." The Colonel shuffles on the spot and clears his throat. "You met Will Sullivan with a rocky start and now he's all that you can see." He says this carefully as he continues to watch her.

April hesitates once more, realising that the Colonel is correct. But she shakes her head. "Don't be stupid."

"Well I don't blame you. I mean he's charming, arrogant, thinks very highly of himself but above all, he has a soft heart."

April glares at the Colonel before turning her attention back to the guns. Her hands waver over the guns but she doesn't make a move to continue fixing them.

There is a long pause of silence.

The two of them desperately wanting to have something to distract them from the upcoming battle and Will.

"Tell me a story," April says, pushing the weapons to the side to give her room to sit on the box. "Anything that's on your mind."

The Colonel smirks. "Is that your way of telling me you want to know why I suddenly disappeared?" He snorts when April looks down guiltily. "Do you know what it was that made me disappear?"

April nods. "Those shape shifters."

The Colonel also nods as he shifts on the box so that he sits beside her. He feels relatively okay explaining the story to April. It seems like she will be one to easily understand. "Before they took me they made a threat that they would force my staff at UNIT to live through a parallel version of the Battle of the Cytracik in this world." He looks at April, seeing the look of recognition and fear across her face.

"I thought you couldn't know about it."

"Only I do. How much do you know of the battle?"

April shakes her head. "Not much. The Doctor has never explained it to me apart from that-"

"The UNIT in your world were killed in battle," The Colonel nods again as he smiles weakly yet the smile does not reach his eyes. "I don't know how it happened as the Doctor won't tell me because he says if we knew, it could create a repeat of the battle. Nor do I particularly want to know how my parallel self dies."

April frowns. "I thought that no one here knows I'm from a parallel world."

The Colonel laughs. "Don't worry, April, the Doctor had to inform me. But your secret is safe with me."

"You know?" April's throat goes very dry very quickly.

"That you are the parallel version of my Commander's daughter? Of course I do. I knew it before the Doctor even told me. Declan knows. He just won't admit it."

April chews on her bottom lip as she turns her attention back to the Colonel's disappearance. "Why did the shape shifters want to make that battle happen again?"

"Because those creatures and anything else that is fighting for this battle would do anything to get to the Cytracik. Surely the Doctor told you that this is a battle for greed? It was them that attracted the Cybermen to come to London. And I can only guess they called the Daleks too. But then the Cybermen found the Dalek's spaceship and tried to scare them off. Neither aliens have realised that they've been called to this world. I can only imagine that the Daleks want something from this world that is part of the Cytracik."

April remembers the Doctor saying something about her father being part of the battle. Are the Daleks wanting to kill this parallel version of UNIT because they are a possible threat? These thoughts run through April's mind but she feel like she needs to draw their conversation away from the Battle of the Cytracik.

"Where did you go, if you don't mind me asking?" She asks.

The Colonel sighs loudly. "I don't know, April. I think it was another dimension but it sure felt like hell. I was stuck in this small dark space for years and years, or it felt like years anyway; time never passed. I couldn't feel anything other than how cold it was there, as well as my own fear for the shape shifters and the constant memories of my family. Especially memories about my mother."

"Your mother?"

"She hated the idea of me joining UNIT," The Colonel replies. "When I was sixteen my girlfriend gave birth to my son and my mother disowned me because she was ashamed of it. Even after I married my wife. She cut me off. She thought that UNIT was a threat to the world like a lot of people do, and warned me to never come near her again." The Colonel half-smiles. "Most mothers hated to see their children become part of UNIT. It's as if everyone was against this company from the start. Everyone apart from the workers here have been against it," The Colonel lets out a quiet chuckle as if he remembers something. "I guess you could say that Jason's mother was as harsh as mine. She disowned him too."

"At least you still have her." April sighs. "My parents were killed for some unknown reason five years ago."

The Colonel also sighs. "I don't know what it is, April. I think to myself every day that I could've been a better son to my mother. Or perhaps she should've raised a baby girl instead."

April laughs a little. "Well we all die and go to hell in the end."

The Colonel chuckles again. "Yeah that's what played on my mind a lot when I was stuck. I thought myself that I was sitting in hell in that dimension but it was too cold for that to be true. The only thing that pulled me back here was when I heard everyone's voices saying that the Doctor had teamed up with the Daleks. I had visions of this upcoming battle and forced myself to Battersea when I saw you going to attack the Cybermen. Funnily enough it was the image of you marching with Declan that brought me home. When I realised that the parallel April Hollerford had come to our world, I know there was trouble," The Colonel shifts on the box. "I guess I owe you a thanks."

"Don't mention it, Colonel," April raises her eyebrows. "You must really love your company then."

The Colonel shuffles on the spot once more. April can't help but notice this. "We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at the stars"

April watches the Colonel with a half-smile, recognising the way he decides to quote Oscar Wilde. She is even surprised herself that his quotes are still the same in the parallel world.

"Can you do me a favour?"

April sighs. "Depends what it is."

"I'm your Colonel. You are still supposed to take my orders."

"Yes, sir."

"Can you not repeat a word I have said to anyone else in this company? I would be grateful."

"Your secret is safe with me."

The Colonel half smirks. "What's your story then?" He asks.

April folds her arms. "I befriended the Doctor because he lied to me and kidnapped me. And that's pretty much it."

"You do remind me of the Doctor."

April rolls her eyes. "I either remind others of him, or I'm always called the Ice Girl. Can't I just be April Hollerford?" She then looks at the Colonel for a moment who suddenly looks a little taken aback. "You've been suffering since you came back. I have noticed," She says. "You shouldn't feel like you have to be ashamed because of it, sir."

"You haven't answered my question," the Colonel says somewhat sternly. "Your life isn't based around the Doctor."

"Nothing happened in my life before."

"You can be a very strangely dislikeable person at times with your stubbornness, April," The Colonel says. "And I'm not ashamed, I just hope that you won't go around telling everyone else that in your eyes, I may be suffering. I know I am but there's no need for us to go into details. I'm sure you understand how it feels," He then smiles. "We're all glad to have you here on the team, April."

"Well I've never been good at making new friends. Surely the Doctor has told you that already?"

"He's told me a lot of things, April. You have suffered enough."

April is stunned for a brief second. But she quickly swallows her pride before sliding off the box and turning back to fixing the weapons. There is a long pause of silence before Colonel Brimikawood pulls out his gun from his belt.

"You don't suppose you could fix mine while you're at it?" He asks.

April forces herself to smile, however as she reaches for his gun, a robotic voice calls out behind them.

"All members of UNIT have been taken under arrest."

Both the Colonel and April jump in fright at the robotic voice as they turn. A gold Dalek approaches them at a slow pace.

"You are under our order. Obey the Daleks! Obey!" It shouts at them.

"Not on my watch!" The Colonel hisses as he tugs at April's arm trying to pull her away, but she has seemed to have momentarily frozen in a state of fear for seeing a Dalek up close again. "April, move!"

"You will be exterminated!"

In a panic, April spins around, snatches the gun out of the Colonel's hand and shoots three times at the Dalek, the third bullet hitting it in its eye, blinding it. The Dalek screams at this as it moves around in a frenzy, scared that it cannot see.

The Colonel curses aloud angrily as he pushes April roughly back into the lift. He slams the gates shut and the lift starts to rise. He sharply turns to April, anger blaring in his eyes.

"What the hell was that?!" He shouts.

"I don't know! It was the first thing that came to mind. There was a Dalek for fucks sake!" April shouts back.

"You're never going to make it through combat if you act like that. I really can't believe you, April."

"Well if you haven't already noticed, sir, the Daleks have arrived a couple of days earlier then they said they would. I'm sure I'm not the only one panicking. Besides, who are you to tell me what to do when I'm not even working under you?"

"You're going to have to start learning how to obey orders if you want to be a part of the UNIT team, sweetheart. Stubbornness isn't going to get you anywhere right now," The Colonel sighs in anger. "For now on, we're going to have to do our best to pretend that the Doctor is our enemy for the sake of our own lives."

April narrows her eyes, rejecting the idea of being called sweetheart. It is patronising to hear, and after having a nice and relaxing conversation with the Colonel only moments before, she feels a sudden hatred and irritation towards him because of it. She then snaps.

"Look, I know what the Doctor has done is wrong. But we need to help him get out of this situation. I will do everything I can, whether or not you will help me," Her voice suddenly becomes panicky. "But it isn't about me it's about him. I'm scared that if we don't do anything to help, the Doctor will die!"

"The Doctor can cheat death." The Colonel hisses.

"Not unless he is killed before his body has the chance to regenerate."

The lift stops abruptly as they reach the top and for the first time ever, the lift gates open automatically.

The UNIT base is packed full with aliens and humans. On one side are UNIT and the Cybermen; on the other are the Daleks along with the Doctor, Rose and Terry.

In silence, the Colonel marches over to the side with UNIT and April follows pursuit. The scowl on her face seems ever more prominent as she is fully aware of the Daleks watching her.

As they turn to face the middle of the base once they are standing in line with the other soldiers, April looks at the Doctor and wonders if their lives are going to end with them pretending to be enemies. As the Daleks start to speak, she realises that it isn't just the Doctor that is tricking them, they all are.

"War will break out," The red Dalek announces. "The Cybermen are lower in numbers and are not strong enough to defeat the Dalek fleet."

"But that will not stop us." The Cyberman leader bellows.

"The Daleks will not lose! The Daleks will not obey orders from the enemy!"

Suddenly Major Rodger Barratt steps out from behind a Cybermen. "I'd be lying to say that I wasn't in the least bit disappointed in both of you." He sneers.

"What the hell are you doing?" Colonel Brimikawood hisses.

Rodger Barratt ignores him. "I was getting all excited about an invasion. I thought the Daleks would attack as soon as they arrive, not talk it out with their enemy."

"The Daleks will go into battle after a formal declaration." The white Dalek says sternly.

Rodger Barratt looks at the Dalek almost as if in disbelief but then lets out a loud roar of laughter. "My god you have almost turned human! Just look at you!" He then considers his words for a moment. "But even then humans wouldn't wait for a formal declaration before going into battle."

"The Daleks will be in war against the Cybermen. In war against UNIT. In war against Earth and we will win."

"The Cybermen will rule this planet. It was the plan from the start. The Daleks are just a mere obstacle." A Cybermen says.

Colonel Brimikawood steps forward. "You have no right to fight for our planet!" He shouts. "We destroyed Battersea and stopped you from upgrading the human race. By all means, attack us first!"

"When I sent you to another dimension, Colonel, I thought that would be enough to kill you, not bring you back." Rodger Barratt hisses.

"What are you talking about?" The Colonel says darkly, staring at Rodger Barratt.

"I thought you would've guessed by now," Rodger Barratt points to April. "Even smart arse over there had suspicions over me."

"What have you done to Major Rodger Barratt?" Ireen snaps.

"The real Major is dead. And he has been dead for a long time," Rodger Barratt snorts. "And no one even realised! We killed him and took the form of his image to trick the lot of you while the Colonel was away. We sent our device onto the Dalek spaceship to bring them over to this world to repeat a battle from a parallel world. But then they got stuck with the Cybermen and that just made everything all the better. Unfortunately for the Daleks, the one thing they have travelled to this world for they don't even know what it looks like."

Rodger Barratt's reveal causes an uproar in UNIT as they stir angrily, shouting at the form of Rodger Barratt. The Cybermen tries to keep them quiet but fails. Both April and the Colonel know that it is in fact a shape shifter. During this April glances at the Doctor who momentarily catches her eye, despite his death glare. So the Daleks have been trying to get to the parallel world for the Cytracik. April can almost hear his voice in her head telling her to stay calm.

Rodger Barratt laughs. "Don't waste your breath, UNIT. Lieutenant Sullivan will never survive that Cyber-attack."

"Do you know what that's like to lose everything?" April shouts at the shape shifter, pretending to be Major Rodger Barratt.

Rodger Barratt doesn't reply but he pulls out a black square box from his jacket pocket. The box is around the size of a jewellery box and it's black surface is ever so shiny, reflecting the lights from the base.

The moment he takes the box out, silence immediately fills the base and there is a sudden intensity in the air. Everyone seems to know exactly what this black box is apart from April and the soldiers from UNIT.

"I wonder if anyone would be able to open this," He says as he places the box on the desk. "I guess the Doctor should open it for the Daleks. Someone can volunteer for the Cybermen."

"The Doctor will open it." The red Dalek orders.

The Doctor does not hesitate to step out of line and approach the box on the table, although he knows what it is and is very fearful of it. However he knows that he does not have the power to open it. Only Declan and Suzette Hollerford from April's own world had that power over five years ago.

The Doctor takes out his sonic screwdriver and shines it at the box. The box sparks before letting off a loud bang. The Doctor stumbles backwards from the force of the black box, unaware of how strong it really is.

"Your device is too weak!" The Cyberman leader states as it steps forward.

"It's my sonic screwdriver and it always opens everything for me! Don't insult it." The Doctor's voice is quite humours as he speaks.

A gun spurts out from the Cyberman's forearm and shoots at the box but the box still does not open. It just moves across the table ever so slightly from the blow.

The Doctor spins around to face the Daleks. "It's like Pandora's box but not quite the same. It only opens on its own accord and what is seen inside differs from each individual. However," The Doctor pauses dramatically. Because the Daleks and the Cybermen have not reacted in the way he was expecting them to at this box, he realises the perhaps these aliens are yet to find out exactly what the Cytracik looks like. "It will only open to those who need it. To those with true power. There's only one creature here who started the battle for this box." The Doctor stares directly over to Rodger Barratt who only stares at him hard.

April looks between the Doctor and Rodger Barratt in confusion and then grits her teeth. This is another thing the Doctor knows and is yet to explain himself.

"The box will open for us!" One of the gold Daleks announces.

"The Daleks are not strong enough to even obtain it." A Cyberman answers.

"The Cybermen will never be inferior to what the Daleks will obtain. The Cybermen are only pest. Like all, they die easily."

"You have declared this war upon the Cybermen," The Cyberman leader steps close to the red Dalek. "The winner will rule this planet and the Cytracik will belong to them."

"Well you can hold it in your hands but it will not necessarily mean that you have power over it." The Doctor says but neither the Daleks or the Cybermen listen to him. He looks over the Colonel Brimikawood who nods at him.

"The Cybermen will not need any hope in the case. What will be your defence?"

The Cyberman leader pauses. "Your fear in us will be your downfall."

"We no longer fear the Cybermen!" The red Dalek shouts. "We can destroy your race with one shot from each Dalek."

"The Dalek race is already failing with your human thoughts and your laws. The only thing you turn to for help is the one man you have always feared the most! You are pathetic. We tried to chase you out of this universe and your fear turned into desperation for the Doctor because you think that he can stop us."

"Exterminate!" The blue and gold Dalek bellows as it shoots down two Cybermen. In unison, all Cybermen point their weapons to the Daleks.

"The war has begun!" One Cyberman cries. "The Daleks and UNIT shall fall!"

"The Cybermen will fall! Doctor, commence battle on the world!"

The Doctor does not reply.

Because the Doctor is not there.

"The Doctor has betrayed you." The Cyberman leader announces slowly.

It is then noticed that no one else is in the room apart from the Daleks and the Cybermen. The Doctor, Rose, Terry and UNIT have escaped while the Daleks and the Cybermen were arguing.

"He has betrayed us!" One of the Daleks screams. "He has gone to join UNIT like he did before!"

"The Doctor lied to us. He will be exterminated!" Screams another.

The Cyberman start attacking the Daleks and they only shoot back.


	18. XVII - Eve of war

**XVII  
Eve of war**

 _Parallel Earth  
_ _Parallel London  
_ _UNIT base_

Sarah-Jane and April stumbles into the lift as a loud explosion from outside is heard. Sarah-Jane, who presses buttons on a handheld device, similar to Terry's, looks up at the ceiling of the lift.

"Good god, the battle has already started!" She cries.

"What are we to do now?" April asks as she grips onto the railings on the wall for balance. "The Doctor just sent everyone out with no further ado."

"He said that the army would start fighting against the aliens out on the street and that we should not attack unless we're under a threat."

Once the lift finally stops, Sarah-Jane pulls open the gates.

"The Colonel wants us to mainly pick up hand grenades and smoke bombs. You shall find them in the boxes in the corner to your left. We also need three of Declan's latest weapons. Plus any other gun you choose, whether it is a rifle or a pistol. As long as you feel comfortable using it. I will take a sniper rifle."

Trying to ignore the sound of the battle above them from outside, April hurries across the storage room, but as she turns the corner, passing a tall stack of wooden boxes, she nearly slams into a white manikin lookalike robot. The robot is bent over, packing grenades into different belts. April lets out a little gasp as she sees it but then stops to observe the robot. Its graceful limbs move swiftly and beautifully like a ballet dancer.

"What's this?" April asks curiously.

Sarah-Jane pauses as she carries a large box over to where April is standing. "Oh that's just Toby. Don't worry too much about him."

Toby, who only has a head, no facial features, looks at April. It raises its hand shoulder height and tilts it's wrist to the side at an angle.

"What's it doing?" April whispers.

"Waving at you probably." Sarah-Jane seems far more concerned about finding a decent sniper rifle in the box.

April suddenly feels quite fond of Toby as she waves back at it in the same way. Toby then silently bends over to continue packing the grenades in the belts. As she watches him, she is suddenly reminded of a design her father showed her when she was a child. Her father wanted to create a graceful robot-maid called Toby. In this world, he has created him.

"It's just one of Declan's inventions that he gave up on," Sarah-Jane continues. "Declan wanted to make a robot-maid but found it too difficult, so he gave up and left Toby down here."

April frowns. "Declan never gives up." She says knowing that giving up was never an option to her father.

Sarah-Jane glances at April suspiciously. "Well he did on this."

Another loud explosion from outside is suddenly heard.

Sarah-Jane quickly turns back to the box. "I already said not to worry too much about Toby. This is more important."

* * *

The streets of London are ridden with Daleks and Cybermen fighting against each other. In the meantime, the British army holds their ground and try to fight at the aliens, but their weapons are useless in the attack. The Doctor, Rose and Terry run through the streets, trying their best not to be seen by anyone.

However luck turns their way when they sneak into a neighbourhood where there is no one around. The Doctor paces up and down for a little while on the damp road before suddenly, and rather unexpectedly pulling off his clothes. Rose stands back and watches him with a raised eyebrow.

"Dare I ask?" She says as the Doctor starts to strip down naked.

"The Daleks will have noticed that I've betrayed them by now and would want to come and find me to kill me, so I'm going under cover." He replies as he starts changing into a UNIT uniform.

"This wasn't part of your plan, was it?"

"Nope." The Doctor pulls down his trousers.

"I thought you wanted to trick the Daleks for the whole battle?"

"Things change."

"Like it always does, Doctor, you make a plan and it doesn't go the way it should." Terry says accusingly.

"What else was I supposed to do, Terry?" The Doctor shouts. "I wasn't expecting the Daleks to go straight to the UNIT base to talk it out with the Cybermen because it's unlike them! I was expecting them to come to Earth and start fighting instantly. So change of plan and I'm going to have to make it up on the spot," The Doctor slides into UNIT's black jacket, quickly realising that he should have picked up their battle uniform rather than their office clothing.

Terry folds her arms. "They're trying to make it happen again aren't they? They're trying to recreate the Battle of the Cytracik here in this parallel world."

The Doctor looks at Terry, concerned. "Why are you asking me this? I thought you would already know."

"But are they?" Rose asks.

The Doctor nods. "The shape shifters threatened Colonel Brimikawood that there would be another Battle of the Cytracik in this world unless he disappears. They sent him off to another dimension only to continue their plan. They brought the Daleks over here but they were only chased off by the Cyberman. They would do anything for the Cytracik. And trying to recreate the battle in this world to destroy possible threats is an option for the shape shifters," The Doctor bites his lip. "And now Rodger Barratt has wondered off again. Despite the Cytracik is no longer in his possession."

"What?" Rose queries.

The Doctor pulls up his red tie. "That black box," He pats the breast pocket of the black blazer where the Cytracik is stored. However the pocket looks empty, just as if it is bigger on the inside, just like Terry's pockets in her denim skirt.

"How the hell did you manage to take that out from under Rodger Barratt's nose?"

"Too easily. I feel like he wanted me to run away with it. Probably because he knows that I don't have the power to open it."

"Do you know who does?" Terry asks. "I do not believe that the parallel version of Declan Hollerford will be able to."

"Well try telling the Daleks that," the Doctor mutters and then frowns. "Why are you asking me all these questions?"

Terry does not reply by continues to stare at the Doctor.

"I don't know how the Cytracik came to this world but I'm sure it is something to do with the shape shifters. They are the main cause of this battle. And with that shape shifter having taken the form of Major Rodger Barratt – very realistically I'll say – they must have brought it over to this world. So now that I have it, it's our job to destroy it once we stop the Daleks and the Cybermen. I don't think they even registered that that is the Cytracik. Both the Daleks and the Cybermen wanted to open it without really noticing what it is. It probably isn't going to take long before the universe realises that I am holding possession of the Cytracik and ideally it is going to be destroyed before they get to me. For now we just need this unnecessary battle over."

"And you have no idea what you're going to do." Rose folds her arms.

"No idea whatsoever. Other than I'm going under disguise to pretend to be part of UNIT. I'm John Smith from now on, not the Doctor."

"It's just like you did in the Battle of the Cytracik. You went under disguise and look how that turned out to be in the end!" Terry mumbles.

Ignoring Terry, the Doctor turns to walk away but then quickly looks back at Rose. Noticing that her hand is resting on the blue lid of one of the dustbins, he takes out his sonic screwdriver and flashes it at Rose's hand, gluing it to the lid. He does the same to Terry.

"Hey!" Rose snaps as she realises what he has done.

"I'm so sorry, but I can't put either of you into more danger." He kisses Rose on the forehead.

"So you expect me to stay here glued to a dustbin while the world is under attack?" Rose snaps.

"For now yes. Look I'm sorry. I took part in creating this mess and it's my job to get it right again. I'll be John Smith for now, okay. Just bear with me. I'm so sorry."

With that the Doctor turns and starts running down the street.

"Doctor! Doctor get back here!" Rose shouts after him but then quickly smacks her own hand over her mouth, wanting to take back her voice.

* * *

When the gates to the lift automatically opens again, April isn't too sure where she will find herself. And she certainly isn't expecting to be taken back to the UNIT base.

April, who is terrified enough of the Daleks, has to cover her mouth to hold in a scream when she sees four gold Daleks standing in the base with their back to her looking up at the holographic screen on the wall. The screen flashes different symbols.

Although the lift genuinely makes a loud rumbling sound that echoes across the base when it is moving, the Daleks seem to have not taken any notice of April's arrival. Nor do they turn around when she steps out of the lift. April keeps her eyes fixed on the four gold Daleks as she slowly steps forward out of the lift and into the main office. It looks like they are in a trance and neither of them move as they watch the symbols.

As she takes one more step closer to them, a pair of hands seize both her arms and pull her back behind the wall. April gasps from fright, wanting to scream, but only finds Jason looking down at her with his usual friendly grin.

Catching her breath back, April couldn't feel more relieved to see Jason again. She jumps up to hug him tightly and notices that Martha and several other UNIT members are around the base, weapons in hands as they hide behind turned over desks and filing cabinets.

"Why aren't you out in the battle?" April whispers.

"We were," Jason replies. "But some of us came back to the base when we found out that some Daleks have decided to hack onto our database. Colonel Brimikawood has gone to fetch Declan to try and block their access. The rest of the team are out on the streets in battle." Jason then frowns. "Where's Sarah-Jane?"

"She's gone back with Ireen and Harry to their house to help move Will. They know that the Daleks and the Cybermen would want to attack their homes," She sighs. "What are we waiting for?"

"We're attacking these Daleks." Martha replies.

"But the Doctor said we're not to attack unless under a threat. Wouldn't it just make it worse if UNIT fight?"

"April," Martha sighs. "The Doctor is our friend, but he is not here to control us. We are a military base and whether or not the British army like us, we have a right to fight for the Earth's freedom."

Jason and Martha then start whispering to each other as they discuss what is to be done. April only rolls her eyes when she notices them occasionally throwing in a flirt between them, but then her attention draws to a round, dark grey pebble on the ground. She bends down and peers at it.

As she picks up the pebble, she notices the marking engraved into the surface, the Gallifreyan language symbols that appears in the Tardis. Because the Doctor taught April how to read Gallifreyan language, she knows that the Tardis – wherever it is – has sent the pebble there for help.

April stands up and feels the weight of the pebble in the palm of her hand. She then looks up at the four gold Daleks, hypnotised with their eyes locked to the holographic screen. Martha and Jason look at her curiously but then they are a second too late to stop her. April throws the pebble at the Daleks, hitting one of them on its dome head with a loud clank.

Everyone in the room suddenly jumps to their feet, pointing their weapons at the Daleks, expecting them to come alive. However the Daleks do not move. The pebble merely leaves a scratch upon its dome and they are unaware of its happening.

April nods. "Yep, they're definitely in a trance." She says aloud, now that there is no need for them to whisper. She then turns to look at Jason and Martha. "They're going to find a flaw in UNIT and once they discover what it is, they'll use that as a way to get at us," April pauses. "Do either of you know a flaw in the system?"

Martha and Jason both look pensive for a moment before shaking their heads slowly in response.

Suddenly, the holographic screen sparks and the symbols vanish. The Daleks snap out of their trance and start to move again. Everyone ducks in hiding again and Jason pulls April back against the wall in the shadows.

"Our reading has been tampered with," One of the Daleks says. "Our access to the database has been denied."

April feels Jason's grip slightly tighten on her arms as they know that Declan has successfully blocked them.

"We know two of the flaws in UNIT," Another Dalek states. "April Hollerford and Rodger Barratt."

"UNIT desperately need April Hollerford." Says another.

"But she's now a Cyberman." Jason whispers.

April has to quickly remind herself that they do not suspect that she is Declan's parallel daughter. Not once has she revealed her surname to them. Only Colonel Brimikawood knows.

"The shape shifter murdered Rodger Barratt, just like they did with Bruce Fey," Says the first. "They also sent Colonel Brimikawood to their other dimension in time and space. Surely they are more of a threat to UNIT?"

The room falls silent. Although Martha, April and Jason cannot see the Daleks as they are blocked from the wall, they can hear their movement. One of the Daleks moves, but it isn't clear whether it is an eye, its head or a weapon.

"There is someone else here." One announces.

April momentarily closes her eyes as she guesses that they have spotted the pebble.

"Your dome is marked."

The four Daleks start to move around in the space.

"I can sense the Ice Girl in the room."

"Maybe she is behind the Doctor's betrayal to us."

"He lied to us. He hates on us. He used us."

"He's dead to us!"

"April Hollerford shall show herself!"

There is a long pause.

April can feel the confusion in the room among all the other UNIT soldiers as they believe April Hollerford to be dead and upgraded into a Cyberman.

April wriggles out of Jason's grip and steps out into the light to face the Daleks. As she does so, she puts a heavy hand on Jason's shoulder, pushing him back to the wall, stopping him from following her, before letting go. She doesn't want Jason or Martha or anyone else to step out too.

April holds her breath for a moment, her fists clenched at her sides. She tries her best to look brave and unafraid.

All four Daleks turn to look at her.

"April Hollerford: the Ice Girl." One announces.

"You know the Doctor. You were with him when we took you to our spaceship." Another says.

"Yes I guess you could say I'm a strong companion and friend of the Doctor's," April replies calmly. "And so is Rose Tyler, Terry and the whole of UNIT. You on the other hand have been an enemy from the start," April tilts her head to one side. "How does it feel to be tricked?"

"You know what the Doctor is planning. You shall obey our orders!"

April snorts. "You'd better think again if you believe I'm telling you anything because I myself don't even know."

"She lies!"

"You were desperate for the Doctor's help because you were so weak and scared and he _tricked_ you to think that you could ever trust him."

"You know his plan!"

"I said I don't know!" April shouts. "And even if I did I wouldn't even tell you."

Suddenly a loud booming voice echoes across the base. A voice that isn't spoken from any of the four Daleks. "The Doctor will be exterminated. He is dead to us. UNIT is dead to us. The Cybermen are dead to us. The Daleks will overrule all. The Doctor agreed to our law: she will be exterminated."

April shifts on the spot, trying not to show any sign of fear.

The four Daleks look up at the ceiling as the loud voice speaks before diverting their attention back to April.

"The Dalek King has spoken! We must obey."

Jason and Martha step out into the light, standing beside April.

Jason clears his throat. "If you don't mind if I say so myself but," He then imitates a Dalek's voice. "Daleks do not take orders."

Seconds later, before the Daleks even have time to try to exterminate them, an explosion erupts from the lift, blowing all four Daleks back and destroying them.

Dust fills the air and everyone gets back on their feet. They can't see much as smoke covers everything in their vision.

Footsteps are heard across the base and the sound of Colonel Brimikawood's voice suddenly relaxes everyone.

"New orders," He announces sharply. "We are to find Rodger Barratt. Any Dalek or Cyberman that is to be seen will be killed on sight. Is that clear?"

The Colonel's troopers salute to him before running out of the base. Although the explosion came from the lift, the lift is undamaged and is still in perfect working order.

Colonel Brimikawood sharply turns to April, looking at her solemn facial expression.

"I'm sorry, April," He says. "But UNIT are in war against the world, whether you wanted it to happen or not. The army have not only started fighting against the Cybermen, but have tried to fight against us. They want us to stop. But the British army does not have the power to even stop this war. England has been put under quarantine so we are stuck here."

April just nods. "You're going down fighting, right? Well you won't go down without me!"

The Colonel smiles before helping April get into UNIT's light blue war jacket, which is a little too big for her but enough to protect her.

Everyone then suddenly stops what they are doing when a croaky voice is heard from across the base. Confused glances are exchanged from one another as they try to figure out what the voice is saying.

"Exterminate." The voice is slow and barely audible but it is clear that it is a Dalek trying to speak.

A wet slapping sound against tiles echo across the base.

"Everyone get into the lift." The Colonel orders in a low voice, but no one responds as they wait to see what it is.

Seconds later, they can see the octopus lookalike figure which sits inside the Dalek's outer shell crawling angrily towards them in a threatening manner.

"That's an order!" Colonel Brimikawood shouts and everyone, in a fright, hurries into the lift before the Dalek creature can get them.


	19. XVIII- Public scene at Piccadilly Circus

**XVIII  
A public scene at Piccadilly Circus**

 _Parallel World  
_ _London  
_ _Piccadilly Circus_

Neither Rose nor Terry are aware of how long they have been stuck on the dustbins but it has felt like a painfully long time. Since the Doctor ran off, Rose has done nothing but try to free her hand from the dustbin lid, but no matter where she goes the bin follows.

Terry walks past Rose and watches her helplessly with both her hands resting on her hips. She observes the way she struggles but makes no attempt to help her. Rose eventually stops struggling to stare back at Terry.

"How did you manage to free yourself?" Rose snaps in confusion.

"It's like the Chinese finger trap," Terry replies bluntly as if it is the most obvious thing. "The more you pull away, the tighter the lid will hold onto your hand. It's a trick the Doctor created because he knows that the victim would instantly try to pull away."

Rose narrows her eyes. "Why didn't you say so before? We could've got out of here quicker!"

Terry looks at Rose blankly, blinking only a couple of times. "I don't know," She says. "It only recently just came back to my memory."

Rose sighs before pushing her hand gently into the lid. She feels the plastic around her fingers loosen enough to allow her to finally free her hand. Rose pulls her hand close to her chest.

"Where is the Doctor?" She asks.

"Piccadilly Circus. They all are."

Rose nods before looking around the empty neighbourhood, not knowing exactly where in London they are.

"Piccadilly Circus is a couple of miles north from where we are. We will be able to make it under half an hour if we make a break for it now."

"We'd better get moving then." Rose says as some sort of spacecraft flies high in the air above them.

Rose and Terry look at each other before they start sprinting across the city towards Piccadilly Circus. Since Rose has spent a few years running with the Doctor she finds this sprint not as hard as she expected and to their luck, the roads are mainly clear and flat.

They eventually find themselves in a crowd with the citizens of London heading towards Piccadilly Circus in one big cluster. Rose and Terry stop running as they squeeze through the crowd, eagerly hoping to find the Doctor among the hundreds of other people around them. From where they are walking, it is unclear to see why everyone is heading to one place. Rose and Terry look at the people around them. No one is in a trance. Everyone is just walking on somewhat angrily as if they too are heading into battle.

The crowd stops at an iron barrier in the centre of Piccadilly Circus. Behind them is the Criterion Theatre. Rose and Terry squeeze through the crowd to get to the iron barrier. The barrier has created a large circle in the centre of Piccadilly Circus and the crowd all gather around the perimeter, looking at the scene in the middle. Rose glances up at the large billboards on the buildings opposite, showing images of the British army soldiers and the Cybermen standing in the middle of the circle.

The whole of the city of London crowds around the iron barrier. Some push through to have a closer look at what is going on. Voices echo across the space. Everyone is terrified.

Rose frantically tries to search the heavy crowd for any sign of the Doctor but there is none. It is far more difficult to look for the Doctor when he isn't wearing his usual long brown coat.

UNIT march among the moving crowd heading towards Piccadilly Circus. They keep their heads low as they try to blend in with everyone else, following the Colonel's orders of keeping a low profile.

As April walks through she tries to scan the crowd to find Rose, Terry or even the Doctor. The twilight sky glooms ahead and it is hard for April to distinguish everyone's faces. The street lamps only shadow their faces. However a few rows ahead from where she is, she recognises a tall muscular figure walking with the crowd. His usual neat blond hair is flat and messy, not neat and perfectly trimmed at the top like it usually is. His hair curls slightly.

Squeezing past everyone and muttering apologies, April slowly makes her way towards Will Sullivan. The closer she gets to him she can't help but notice how weak he looks. Even from the back of his head it is evident.

The crowd continues to move forward and neither Will nor April say a word as April's walking pace falls into the same rhythm as Will's, once she reaches his side. Will glances at April sideways and breathes out a little, feeling relaxed that they are together again. They both make the most of each other's company, even in their silence. Will's hand slip into April's and she allows herself to hold onto him.

Once they reach the middle of Piccadilly Circus, people stop walking to join the end of the crowd. April looks up at the electronic billboards to her right to see images of army trucks parked on the curb. A crowd of British army soldiers are stood opposite the Cybermen in the centre of the circle of crowds.

Continuing their silence, both April and Will squeeze through the crowd to get a closer look at what is happening in the centre. No one says anything to them as their attention fixes to the screens with a fearful eye. April holds onto Will's hand tightly as she leads him through the crowd.

They eventually reach the iron barrier and observe the scene in the centre of the circle. April glances around the crowd and is suddenly thankful for Terry's fiery red, curly hair as it is easy for her to spot her in the crowd. April catches both Rose's and Terry's eye. No gesture is made but they know that they are still part of the team.

"UNIT are dotted around the crowd." Will whispers in April's ear.

April shakes her head. "What is going on?" She asks. "Why have they stopped fighting just to make a big scene here?" April is then suddenly aware that one of the high ranking officers from the British army is making a speech to the Cybermen. The huge crowd slowly starts to fall silent as the soldier's voice rings out. Everyone listens in.

"You have no right to come to Earth and think it's your duty to take over," The soldier declares. "We are defenders of the Earth and we'll stop and _nothing_ to keep it safe from harm! If you aliens want to battle it out against each other, you can go elsewhere! This is not the place for you."

The crowd erupts in a loud cheer at the officer's words.

"The human race is tiny," The Cyberman leader says, ignoring the cameramen to its right, filming its every word and movement. "You are pathetic and your words mean nothing to us. This is not an invasion of planet Earth; this is the Cybermen's victory!"

To her right not far behind the Cyberman leader, April notices a disturbance in the crowd behind the barrier. She then sees Colonel Brimikawood climbing over the barrier and stepping out into the scene. She feels Will stir beside her but she only holds onto his hand tighter.

The Colonel marches confidently right past the Cyberman, ignoring the confused chatter within the crowd as he heads towards the officer who he notices to be the Colonel of the British army.

"What are you doing, Colonel Meath?" Colonel Brimikawood demands in his usual low, gruff voice.

Colonel Meath turns to look at Colonel Brimikawood with a raised eyebrow. "Destroying what you started."

"What?"

"We all know that the reason why both these metal species have come to this world is because you've been sending signals out to advertise this planet for invasion!"

"We have done no such thing, sir! We have saved your backside on many occasions in the past and is this what I receive as a thank you?"

The Cyberman leader steps forward. "UNIT shall be deleted!"

"Oh piss off!" Colonel Brimikawood snaps at the Cyberman.

Colonel Meath looks amused for a split second at hearing the Cyberman's words. "If we could we would dump UNIT out in space," He narrows his eyes at Colonel Brimikawood. "You're the real killer here!"

Suddenly a large amount of Daleks appear out of nowhere. They suddenly materialise into the space with the Cybermen. The crowd screams at their appearance but none of the Daleks make a threat to exterminate anyone. The red Dalek slowly approaches Colonel Brimikawood who only glares back at it. The Colonel's fists clench tightly.

"UNIT shall be exterminated! The Doctor will be exterminated! Everything will be all the easier without them."

Colonel Brimikawood looks hard at Colonel Meath. "Surely you're not going to let them do this?"

"I have no choice," Colonel Meath replies indifferently. "Enough people have been murdered in this battle. And it is all because of you!"

"Murdering us will not end this war! It will only make you a murderer."

"But the war will be easier without you." The black Dalek says slowly.

Colonel Meath hesitates as he is lost in thought before making a final decision. He turns to look at the Dalek. "Kill him."

"Not under our order!" Alic shouts, from somewhere in the crowd before he jumps over the barrier. Then all of a sudden, the officers of UNIT join the scene.

There are different sounds of guns clicking as weapons are all pointed at different directions. The Daleks and the Cybermen aim their weapons at UNIT. Alic points his gun to Colonel Meath who aims his at Martha. Martha aims one at the red Dalek and one at the Cyberman leader. Ireen, Jason, Sarah-Jane, Rex and some other soldiers of UNIT point their weapons to the Cybermen, the Daleks and Colonel Meath.

"So, not only is there a war between the Cybermen and the Daleks," Ireen starts. "It looks like the world is at war with UNIT. Do you really want to turn this country away from us?"

"If one shoots then we all shoot and this mess can be finished with." Alic snaps.

April spins around to face Will, wanting to look away from the scene. She curses under her breath, muttering to herself that there is absolutely nothing she can do. Things have gone completely out of hand.

"We're going to have to fight to end this war," April says aloud to Will. "I don't want that to be the case because it'll result in more deaths in this country and everyone would hate UNIT even more!" April groans. "Oh, Doctor, what have you done?!" She lets out a loud deflated sigh.

The mutterings from everyone around her buzz in her ears. No one knows what to do. Everything has become a mess. The scene in the centre of Piccadilly Circus has gone completely out of control and it feels as if everyone is making unnecessary choices on the spot out of fear.

There are a few other British army soldiers dotted around their space, aiming their guns, ready to shoot if that is going to be the case. But Colonel Meath works on his own. He makes plans on a whim. It is him that is willing to let the Daleks and the Cybermen kill UNIT. Not once did he turn to the army to support him. Only Colonel Meath wants UNIT dead. Soldiers from the British Army knows that he has no right to do such a thing and yet no one stops him.

April rests her hand gently on Will's chest as she looks at it deep in thought. She can just imagine the whole world dying out because of the war. She looks into Will's troublesome eyes, and without a second thought she holds onto the back of his neck and kisses him fully on the lips.

Will feels confused by April's intentions for a split moment but he very quickly relaxes and kisses her back gently. He wraps his arms securely around her waist and holds her body close against his. For that split moment everything and everyone around them disappears and there is nothing but their lust and desire for each other to hold on to.

It is Will who breaks the kiss.

He continues to hold onto April's waist but he looks down at her with a bewildered expression. "Where did that come from?" He asks with a raised eyebrow. "Was that out of sympathy?"

"I just thought I might not get a second chance." She replies softly before leaning in for another kiss.

"The Doctor is the cause of this!" The Dalek King's voice suddenly echoes across the city. It speaks from inside the spaceship. It is loud and deep enough for everyone to hear.

Everyone jumps in fright at the Dalek King's loud booming voice and some scream. The crowd stir and look up at the sky to see where the voice comes from.

"The Dalek King has spoken! The Dalek King has spoken!" The Daleks all chorus together.

With one hand still resting on the back of Will's neck, April turns to look at the scene in the middle of the circle. Will's hands tighten around April's waist as the Dalek King continues to speak.

"The Doctor is not of this world," It continues. "He joined the Daleks side to save his friends. He just wants to be a hero."

Colonel Meath steps out of line in fear as he raises his weapon up into the sky, trying to find where the voice is coming from. Other soldiers from the army do the same.

"You wanted to be the hero of this world, Doctor? Now you have got to pay the price."

The Daleks start to chant in unison almost like a song. "The Doctor lied to us. He's using us. The humans hate on us. Afraid of us. They are dead to us!"

"Come out of the light, UNIT," The Dalek King orders above the horrified screams from the crowd. "Don't be shy. Step out and face your final death!"

There is no hesitation before UNIT slowly starts to move. Each member push through the crowd and climbs over the barrier from different sections of the crowd and steps forward into the scene. The people around April and Will murmur to one another as they see the couple step forward and slowly climbed over the rail. April steps over first before helping Will as he is still very weak.

As they walk into the centre April can't help but notice some army soldiers hiding behind their trucks and police cars, aiming their weapons directly at the Daleks and the Cybermen. So not every soldier from the army are against UNIT. Yet why doesn't any of them step up to Colonel Meath?

"UNIT shall kneel." The Dalek King orders and UNIT does so.

They kneel down on the pavement in a line with their hands behind their heads. April kneels in between Jason and Will. As she sneaks a glance at her friends she notices that no one is afraid of being shot to death. Nor does anyone attempt stand up for themselves. April can't help but think that they may have devised a plan to get out of this mess, yet they all do as they are told. Surely they aren't just going to allow Colonel Meath order the enemy to kill them?

April's scowl becomes harsh as she looks at every UNIT soldier on their knees. That is when she finds the Doctor in UNIT's uniform three spaces down the line from her. Like everyone else, he has his hands behind his head but his eyes remain fixed to the ground.

It is wrong to kill UNIT on the spot; everyone knows that yet they remain to say nothing about it which troubles April. They all know that getting rid of UNIT will do nothing to save the world.

Colonel Meath turns to face one of his other officers. "The world does not need to know about the death of UNIT. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir." The soldier replies with a nod before marching over to the cameramen. He speaks to them in a low voice and moments later they drop their cameras to stop filming.

The Cybermen march so they stand in line with the Daleks and for that one moment it is almost as if the Cybermen and the Daleks have united with each other and the world just to kill UNIT.

Colonel Meath turns to look at UNIT on their knees as he fumbles for his gun. He then stops.

"Shoot when ready." He orders in a deflated voice before turning away.

The guns spurts out of the Cybermen's forearms and makes a high pitched sound as if they are charging up.

The Doctor slowly raises his head and catches the red Dalek's blank stare. The Doctor stares at the Dalek hard and smirks just as it starts to recognise that the Doctor is in disguise.

"Time heals!" The Doctor yells and suddenly everyone jumps to their feet and attack.

Colonel Meath is suddenly knocked backwards right off his feet after Alic smacks him in his face. The crowd screams and try to run away as more soldiers of UNIT start shooting down at the aliens from windows of the buildings around them. The Daleks and the Cybermen start to fight back as more UNIT soldiers jump over the barrier and ambush them.

Colonel Brimikawood shoots down a few Cybermen before he turns to look at Colonel Meath who scrabbles in the snow to find his gun.

"Do you really think you could keep this world safe from these aliens without us?" Colonel Brimikawood shouts. He waits for Colonel Meath to stand up. They stand face-to-face with hatred in their eyes. "We did not bring the Cybermen here." Colonel Brimikawood hisses.

"I know," Colonel Meath replies after a long while before he wipes away the blood that pours out of his nose. "I suddenly realised that last minute."

"You're a coward and a poor excuse for a soldier," Colonel Brimikawood growls and then looks over Colonel Meath's shoulder. "Duck!" Meath does so and Colonel Brimikawood shoots the Cyberman in front of him, killing it instantly. He then drags Meath up onto his feet. "Order your troops to spread out. That's an order!"

"You don't have the right to tell the army what to do!" Colonel Meath snaps.

The Doctor appears in a hurry. "The army are defenceless against them. Bullets can't stop them!"

The three then duck when a Dalek tries to exterminate them. Colonel Brimikawood and the Doctor run off in different directions to help in the battle, leaving Colonel Meath alone and confused.

April is in the middle of the battle, knocking down every Cyberman she passes.

"April!"

April quickly turns to see Terry running towards her. She pulls out a spare gun from her belt and throws it over to Terry who catches it easily with one hand.

"Aim for the visible piping on the Cybermen's body. It's their weakest spot." April orders.

Terry nods before disappearing into the crowd. There are some occasions where April finds herself kicking a Cyberman backwards, knocking it off its feet before shooting at it. The battle is tiring but not once does April stop fighting to save her friends.

The Doctor appears out from the fight and quickly snatches one of the metal cylinder tubes from April's belt and throws it at the Cyberman approaching her from behind. This then kills about four Cybermen that are close to them. April sharply turns to face the Doctor.

"You're a very good fighter." He says with a smile as the fights continue around them.

"Yeah well this is how UNIT trained me." She says indifferently.

The Doctor folds his arms. "I just never expected to see you like this."

"I'd never fight anything to hurt them in the way that shape shifter did to me. But I will fight for my own safety as well as the safety of others," April stops shooting for a brief moment to look at the Doctor, breathing heavily. "And to sort out your shit." With that, April spins around in a circle as she pulls out another cylinder tube and throws it at the nearest Dalek. She does this in one quick, fluid moment and all the same manages to pull the Doctor behind her.

As the battle continues it is evident that the Daleks are far stronger than the Cybermen as the Cybermen lose numbers quickly. Yet more and more Cybermen march into the scene. The Cybermen shoot at their enemies like machine gun fire.

Rose stands back to observe the scene. After Terry ran in to fight in the battle Rose tries her hardest to find something to do to help. She starts squeezing through some of the army soldiers until she finds Colonel Brimikawood who has just destroyed the orange Dalek. But before she can say anything, her attention quickly diverts to a sound from high above.

Rose looks up at the now dark sky to see what the sound is. It doesn't take her long to realise that a bomb as been dropped from the Dalek spaceship and is now hurtling towards them. She then catches the Colonel's eye as he knows it too.

"Fall out!" Colonel Brimikawood yells, gesturing to all the UNIT soldiers to run away. Some people turn in his direction in confusion. "Take cover! Fall out!"

Some hesitate before realising that a bomb is quickly hurtling down in their direction. A panic erupts as everyone disperses and tries to run away. Screams continue to echo across Piccadilly Circus as the remaining citizens still try to run away. The police and some army soldiers scramble into their cars and try to drive away but the engines will not ignite.

Colonel Brimikawood continues to yell at everyone to take cover from the bomb. The Doctor manages to find Rose and Terry before dragging them away as quickly as he can. Soon most of the remaining soldiers of UNIT gather together and try to run in their direction but Will only panics when he can't find April. The Doctor tries to push Will away as the bomb only gets closer. To the Doctor's relief April manages to knock down another Cyberman before running towards them.

"April, for goodness sake _run_!" The Doctor shouts at her and she runs as fast as she can.

But April then finds herself stopping. Piccadilly Circus is still filled with innocent people, the police, soldiers from the army, UNIT soldiers and left over Cybermen and Daleks in the way of being blown up.

Then there is Colonel Brimikawood who seems more concerned about getting everyone out rather than his own safety.

"Don't you dare!" April hisses under her breath before running back towards him.

"APRIL!" The Doctor yell but it is too late.

April reaches the Colonel and hauls him down flat on the ground just as the bomb explodes.


	20. XIX - Cowardice

**XIX  
Cowardice**

 _Parallel World  
_ _Parallel London  
_ _Piccadilly Circus ruins_

There is nothing but darkness and silence to begin with.

The air is filled with a thick cloud of smoke that covers the whole area of what was once Piccadilly Circus. After the bomb, London goes into a state of shock. Yet most of the city is completely unharmed from the bomb. It is only Piccadilly Circus that cannot be seen through the thick smoke.

Everyone that was effected by the bomb slowly starts to stir back to consciousness. It doesn't matter to anyone how much time passed since the bomb exploded. All everyone cares about is who is around and who survived.

Ireen rolls onto her stomach in the rubble of the Criterion Theatre, choking on the fumes around her. As she does this, she is reminded of the explosion of Battersea only a couple of days ago and how that was when Colonel Brimikawood returned to them. How she wishes that they can have another miracle like that right now. It is only moments later that Ireen really starts to feel a lot of pain in her ribs and once she tries to get back on her feet, there is nothing but excruciating pain.

The Doctor slowly opens his eyes to see Rose towering over him with worry showing across her face. She only looks relieved once his eyes open.

"I thought you'd never wake up!" She gasps before helping the Doctor to slowly sit up. He starts to choke on the fumes, as do everyone else.

"We need to move out before we all choke to death here." The Doctor coughs as he scrambles to his hands and knees.

Rose looks at him and the Doctor only stares back. He lets out a scratchy sigh and his voice is gruff as he speaks. "The moment when UNIT were down on their knees in a line, waiting to be killed, was a repeat from the Battle of the Cytracik. That was how they were killed. We need to stop _anything_ from being repeated. Do you understand me, Rose?"

Rose nods. "What are we going to do?"

"Get away from the ruins for a start." Colonel Brimikawood's voice is gruffer than usual as he suddenly approaches them through the smoke.

The Doctor looks relieved to see the Colonel alive. "Where's April?"

"I don't know," The Colonel frowns. "Someone took her. She ran away. She fell down a hole. I don't know. She wasn't there when I woke up," He then coughs. "We were lucky though. The shrapnel just missed us when the explosion happened. She saved my life."

The Doctor nods as the sound of everyone coughing suddenly becomes louder.

"Is everyone okay?" The Colonel calls and he is met with a few gruff replies but he cannot see from whom as the smoke is so thick. He then starts to crawl through the rubble to find everyone else.

The Doctor turns to look at Rose. He shakes his head. "I can't believe I've brought this all down upon you," He says. "Even Terry has started to fight for my mistakes."

"This is bigger than you, Doctor," Rose whispers as she touches his arm lightly. "Please don't try to handle too much on your own."

The Doctor pulls Rose close to him as he kisses her on the head. They stay there, holding onto each other for a while before moving.

* * *

April finds herself lying on her back in something that feels like soft, lavender scented bed sheets and she suddenly feels very much at home. Her childhood memories of being happy with her parents flash in her mind as she listens to her mother humming sweetly to her, just like she always used to do before going to sleep. A small smile forms on April's lips as she slowly regains consciousness. Her memories fade but the sound of her mother humming is still clear in her ears.

April lays in a large double bed in a lilac coloured bedroom. On the other side of the room, she sees her mother folding her newly cleaned clothes and UNIT jacket onto the chair beside the door. At first April thinks that she is dreaming but as soon as she moves, there is a sharp pain in her right shoulder. Warm blood trickles down her back and onto the bed sheet.

Suzette Hollerford turns to see April stir.

"Be careful, poppet!" She warns rushing to April's side with a bucket of hot water and a wet flannel. There she tends April's new wound. "You're a very lucky girl," Suzette continues. "You were only hit by glass rather than shrapnel. Even luckier with the way the shrapnel flew straight over yours and the Colonel's heads when that bomb exploded. Just relax for me and I'll clean that up for you."

April says nothing but stares at her mother who carefully wipes away the blood from her shoulder.

"How long have I been gone?" April asks, wondering to herself why she didn't even see the Black Lighthouse in her unconscious state, but feeling grateful at the same time.

"Six hours," Suzette replies. "You were unconscious for six hours. My husband was the first to wake up and when he told me about the explosion I went to the scene to get you out as soon as I could," Suzette then bites her lower lip. "I've already lost my April. I can't lose another."

April frowns and almost splutters with shock. "What did you say?"

"You heard me. I know who you are," Suzette leans back on the stool with a sigh. "You are not my daughter and I am not your mother," She says a little too sternly then she should have. "You're the daughter of a parallel Suzette and Declan Hollerford who died when you were just thirteen years old. And my daughter is dead. Just at the age of thirteen," Suzette looks at April. "You are the older, parallel version of my daughter and I'm going to help you get through this battle. I'm going to make sure that you are safe. The Doctor needs as much help as he can get to clean up the mess he took part in."

Suzette stands up and brings over a few bandages to dress April's shoulder wound.

For a moment April is shocked from hearing this, but she then shakes her head. "You're not going to fight in this war. I won't let you!"

Suzette snorts. "Poppet, where do you think you got your stubbornness from?"

"But you can't!" April has to stop herself from calling her mum.

Once Suzette has dressed her wound, she clasps April's hand in both of hers, just like she always used to.

"Everyone has problems and people just learn to deal with it. You can't afford to sacrifice what's good for you because of them. Tomorrow will be kinder," She sighs as she clasps April's hand tighter. "I need you to stay here and relax for a little while, April," Suzette says. "Make sure your shoulder gets better before you go anywhere." She then looks in April's eyes for a while. "Declan is in a search for Rodger Barratt. I'm going to find the Colonel and see where he's heading to next. The Dalek King managed to kill a majority of the Cybermen and his own Dalek race in Piccadilly Circus," Suzette laughs quietly and shakes her head. "Bloody idiot," With that, she stands up and heads for the door. "I've cleaned your clothes. There were rather grubby." She smiles before leaving the room.

Ignoring the pain in her shoulder April jumps straight out the bed and rushes to the door to follow her mother. However once she opens the door, she only finds the lift that takes her up to the UNIT base.

Tears sting April's eyes and she remembers the look on her parallel mother's face when she says how much she knows. Does that mean she knows about the Battle of the Cytracik? Then hastily wiping away her tears, April pulls off the silk nightgown she is wearing and changes back into her jeans and hoodie. She hesitates for a second before putting on the UNIT jacket over her hoodie. And then without further ado, she runs into the lift.

April turns to face the gates as the lift ascends. The room in which she was in seconds ago is no longer in sight. She breathes in and out deeply as she tries to gather her emotions. Her mother is right in saying that there is a job to do and how the Doctor needs as much help as he can get. She has waited so many weeks and months for something to happen and now is the time for her to get on and stop the war. And yet April feels that they are nearing the end.

April watches the small television screen on the wall beside the gates. It shows clips on the news channel of the fight at Piccadilly Circus, headlining the break in one of London's most famous landmarks.

"It's still not over." A low voice announces from behind.

April jumps in fear at the voice and turns sharply only to find Rodger Barratt standing behind her. He stands in his usual upright military posture with his hands clasped in front, resting on a walking cane. April merely grunts before turning to face the gate again.

"And where have you been hibernating too?" April sneers.

"The whole country has their eyes on UNIT," Rodger Barratt says, avoiding April's question. "And soon enough if England win this war, the whole world will want to know more about them. They're not the hero's you think they are."

"And you're not the person you make yourself out to be!" April snaps. And as she does so, she is suddenly aware of a little tadpole swimming in the air around the lift.

Rodger Barratt chuckles. "I may not be the real Major Rodger Barratt but after living his life for the past year I have adapted to his mind and attitude quite easily. Either way, if Major Rodger Barratt was alive, he still wouldn't have liked you, April," Rodger Barratt turns his attention to the television screen as it shows an image of Will battling against the blue and gold Dalek. "It must be amazing to have the whole world watch you like that."

April glances at the screen watching Will, but she draws her attention to the gates as the lift stops. She pulls them open, ignoring the pain in her shoulder and steps into the empty UNIT base. It is still a mess from when the Daleks and the Cybermen first started attacking each other.

"Has Colonel Brimikawood ever told you about why he disappeared?" Rodger Barratt asks as he follows April across the base.

April turns to look at him. "What, that you threatened him that there would be parallel version of the Battle of the Cytracik unless he left UNIT? Although you go on to continue with your plan."

"And we brought the Daleks over here." Rodger Barratt chuckles again. He then runs a finger along the surface of one of the upturned desks and rubs the dust away. "The fact is, April, the Daleks called the Doctor over to their ship because they were so scared and desperately needed help. And they believed that the Doctor would in fact help them. He freaks out and agrees to but only then to realise his own mistake. He pretends that he had tricked them all along only to anger the Daleks further. But as for you, April, you get yourself tangled up in a parallel version of UNIT. You are friends with people who are supposed to be dead. They all say that the Doctor started this mess but you have been a part of it too. Joining UNIT will be the biggest mistake you have ever made."

"You could say it was my fault or the Doctor's for getting involved but neither of us expected this to happen. Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Where did you send Bruce Fey's ashes to?"

April narrows her eyes and shakes her head. "Somewhere you'll never find him again."

Rodger Barratt stares at April for a long moment before raising his eyebrows. "I sensed it wouldn't go that way either," He says mostly to himself. "Watch your back there, April. You can never tell a snitch from the way they look."

April pauses not quite understanding what Rodger Barratt is trying to say. "When I first came here. You said that UNIT isn't ending."

"I was playing an act you fool!" He shouts as he slams his walking cane on the floor, making a loud thud.

April takes a few steps backwards as she pulls at her hoodie sleeves. The shape shifter is the reason why she had so desired to kill herself and it is this creature that wants her dead. Although it isn't the same one as Bruce Fey's creature and she knows that there are plenty more shape shifters out there, it still frightens her. April suddenly starts to feel terrified, the same terror she felt when she first saw the Daleks. She is aware of the tiny tadpole lookalikes floating around Rodger Barratt's head.

Rodger Barratt looks up at April, his brow creased in anger. "It's been a real pleasure knowing you."

April nods at his sarcasm. "Likewise." She replies with the same amount of sarcasm.

Rodger Barratt takes a step closer to April. April panics as he does so and in one swift motion, she draws her pistol out of her belt and points it at him.

Rodger Barratt looks at her gun with surprise before bursting out laughing. "What are you trying to prove, April? That now you're overcoming your depression you can hold a gun?" He smirks. "Shoot me now and you're almost as bad as Bruce Fey himself!"

"It wasn't Bruce Fey that tried to kill me it was one of you! Or perhaps I should've killed myself there and then. We wouldn't be here if I did."

Rodger Barratt looks clearly amused as he circles April. "Maybe you could turn that gun around. It'll benefit everyone," He scoffs. "I can make you a deal seeing as you're so eager for us to leave you alone. If you let me go, I and my other family members would never bother you again. Nor would we try to kill you again."

"How do I know this isn't some sort of cunning plan of yours? You're after the Cytracik like the rest is."

Rodger Barratt chuckles once more. "Do you always have this many trust issues? I'm asking you to let me go and we will never meet again. Do we have a deal?"

"No," April hisses. "I can't let you go."

"And whys that?"

"Because you'll start another Battle of the Cytracik."

Rodger Barratt smiles broadly. "Good girl, April! You understand! Go on, say it again for me. What am I going to do?"

April just stares at Rodger Barratt, her gun still raised.

He rolls his eyes. "Do you even know what the Cytracik even is? Do you? Has the Doctor even told you about the battle? Do you know how your parents died?"

April shifts on the spot.

"Everything that happens to you now is down to your father."

"What are you saying?" April snaps.

"Speaking of Declan Hollerford, I'm yet to announce-" Rodger Barratt is suddenly stopped short of his sentence when the fire door to his right blows open.

Harry, Will and Declan run in, pointing their weapons at Rodger Barratt.

April, looking out the fire door, just catches a glimpse for the end of a Wingerdette's tail, but she returns her attention back to Rodger Barratt. The Doctor knows how dangerous the shape shifters are as he had to throw Bruce's shape shifter out into a certain black hole. April holds her aim.

"Why aren't any of you out in the battle like everyone else?" Rodger Barratt demands.

"Coming to check if our home place is still okay." Harry answers as he twitches his head a little.

"I think you've had enough, sir," Will snaps, marching up to Rodger Barratt. "It's about time you should leave."

Rodger Barratt raises his hand and Will instantly feels a force punching him in the stomach as he stumbles backwards with a groan.

"Will!" April drops her aim and makes a move to Will.

"Don't you dare move!" Rodger Barratt shouts, pointing at April who halts instantly.

Declan takes a couple of steps closer to Rodger Barratt so that his gun touches the back his head. "Let's just say, for the time being you are under arrest."

"You can't arrest your Major."

"Our Major is dead!" Harry snaps.

Rodger Barratt laughs as he turns to look at Declan ignoring the gun in his face. "Go on, Commander Hollerford, don't you think it's about time you should tell the truth now, just to get it off your chest?"

"What truth?" April asks as she fidgets on the spot in agitation.

"How you more or less sold Colonel Brimikawood to us in order for him to disappear?"

"Don't do this!" Declan growls.

"What is he talking about?" Harry asks.

"Nothing!"

"It certainly isn't nothing, Declan. Didn't you put your Colonel forward just to save your own skin?" Rodger Barratt teases as he circles Declan as if he is prey.

"Someone better explain what this is about." Will hisses.

"I'll tell you what this is about!" Rodger Barratt shouts as he turns to face them. "After we asked him to make a scene and disappear for us, your Commander was too scared to give himself up to us so instead he ordered us to take your Colonel Brimikawood away. Isn't that right, Declan?"

Declan looks down at the floor sheepishly.

"Is that true?" Harry asks, his voice cracking with fear.

"It certainly is! I mean so much for risking your life for others," Rodger Barratt bellows with excitement. "And he agreed to this on one condition. If we recreated this battle while Colonel Brimikawood was away, UNIT will be taken down to their deaths and Declan would be able to live the rest of his life in peace. But if the plan didn't work and the Colonel returned, then Declan and his family," he looks pointedly to April, "would be killed on the spot," Rodger Barratt stops walking to look at Declan. "He would rather the safety of his own skin than the lives of his friends."

"Please tell me this isn't true, Declan!" Harry snaps, tears filling his eyes and his grip on his gun shakes. "After all these years of friendship we had, you don't even care about my own fate? Why did you let them take our Colonel?!"

Declan turns to Harry sharply. "I'm sorry! I didn't know what I was putting myself up for. I was just scared," He points to Rodger Barratt. "They were threatening the death of my family! Harry, they've killed my daughter!"

Rodger Barratt momentarily glances over in April's direction with a knowing smirk.

Harry shakes his head as he aims his gun at Declan's chest. "We were never good enough for you, Declan. I can see it now."

"Harry, please don't do this!"

"You are a coward."

April watches her parallel father in disappointment before lowering her gaze to the floor and her gun. It comes to her realisation that in her world her real father would never betray his friends as much as his parallel-self did. She realises that this Declan has everything her father had always dreamed of and because of it, it seems okay for him to give up on making Toby the robot-maid as well as betraying his friends because he has what he wants.

"Declan, a deal is a deal," Rodger Barratt says before turning to Will. "Lieutenant Sullivan, I command you to you kill Declan Hollerford. Following my orders may result in a promotion."

Will takes a few steps forward and April looks at Will in disgust.

"Will, are you really going to obey orders to a shape shifter?" She snaps.

"After following his orders for five months it's pretty hard not to." Will snaps back as he approaches Declan who has now gone down onto his knees. Harry stares at Will intently. Will looks back at Harry before putting his gun back into his belt.

"I would take orders from my Major, not a cover." Will says, turning back to Rodger Barrat.

"Don't be stupid." Rodger Barratt hisses.

"I may have been brought up to obey orders in this world but I have not been brought up to kill innocent people."

"If you can shoot a couple of arrows at your girlfriend then I'm sure as hell you can shoot a couple of bullets at your Commander."

"I decline." Will hisses through gritted teeth.

Rodger Barratt groans. "You really are an insolent coward, aren't you, Sullivan," He then pulls out his own gun from his jacket and aims it at Will. "Maybe I should just finish off what the Cybermen didn't succeed in doing. Hold it right there and I'll shoot!"

Will smirks. "You were already going to shoot me anyway."

Before Rodger Barratt has the chance to pull the trigger, the gun is smacked out of his hand and he stumbles backwards from the blow.

Everyone is then aware of Colonel Brimikawood standing in front of Will and Declan like a strong barrier.

"I don't care if Declan betrayed us because of you," Colonel Brimikawood snaps. "You will _not_ kill the Commander of my company, nor will you murder my only son!"

There is a moment of silence as everyone registers what the Colonel has just said.

Will Sullivan is Colonel Brimikawood's son.

For that short silence it suddenly makes sense to April. The protectiveness the Colonel has over Will and the way Will spoke about him while he was gone. Even down to the same smirk. It makes perfect sense that they are father and son.

Rodger Barratt lets out a loud roar of laughter but as he does so, Harry pins him to the ground. He wrestles him for a moment as Rodger Barratt struggles underneath.

"We need to get out of here!" Harry says.

Declan stands up and brushes the dust off his trousers. "If the Doctor can trick the Daleks then I'm sure as hell that we can trick the Cybermen." He says.

The Colonel nods to Will before turning to look at April.

Rodger Barratt looks up at her with a smirk. "I will see you when the Black Lighthouse flashes five times for real!" He then clicks his fingers before vanishing fro sight. Harry falls onto the floor.

"No!" April shouts as she runs to where he was but Will pulls her back into him. She struggles in his arms trying to break free. "We can't let him go!" April shouts.

"There's not much we can do about that, sweetheart." The Colonel replies as he walks towards the lift followed by Harry and Declan who both are tense with each other.

April stops struggling as she watches them, breathing heavily.

Everything has continued to fall apart and now that they have lost Rodger Barratt there is nothing they can do to stop a repeat of the Battle of the Cytracik. April feels Will nuzzle his face into her neck and she places her hands on top of his. But then she glares at Colonel Brimikawood.

"You have a hell of a lot of explaining to do, Colonel." She hisses.


	21. XX - London apocalypse

**XX  
London apocalypse**

 _Parallel world  
_ _Everywhere around London_

It is daybreak and Terry gathers a small team of the remaining UNIT members, including April and Colonel Brimikawood, on the UNIT base roof. She warns everyone that the Daleks and the Cybermen are still fighting each other and their job is to destroy them bit by bit.

"And that means to destroy any Dalek or Cyberman device you can find. Even if it's an arm. Or leg. Or even one of those light bulbs on top of the Dalek's dome. We need to kill it." Terry orders.

Ireen whistles for the Wingerdette's to come and pick up a few soldiers. It is announced that the Wingerdettes have a sharp sense for all things alien so they will be able to take them where they need to go.

Terry sets off Will with Harry, Rex and other soldiers to search elsewhere. Declan goes off in one direction with Martha and Jason and Ireen stays with the Colonel, April and Alic. Will manages to kiss April once more, promising that he will see her again before leaving.

"If we act quickly we may be able to defeat them all by the end of the day." Terry says as everyone starts to split up.

They mount the Wingerdette's and April recognises the same Wingerdette she rode on before when they celebrated the end of the training course. It all seems so long ago but the Wingerdette certainly recognises her as it lowers its shoulders, allowing her to climb upon him.

Terry walks over to April as the others get onto their Wingerdettes.

"You should meet up with Rose and Suzette along the way." Terry says as she strokes the neck of April's Wingerdette.

"What about you? Where will you go?" April asks.

"I'm joining Will, Rex and Harry," She says before smiling with real human emotion. "I can see the end of this is near."

April smiles back weakly. "I hope so," she then nods. "Be careful."

Terry nods back. "You too."

Terry takes a few steps backwards and the Wingerdettes run off the roof of the UNIT base. They spread their wings as they glide through the air. They fly through London and the Wingerdettes keep a sharp eye out for any devices that may or may not belong to the Daleks or the Cybermen. Colonel Brimikawood's Wingerdette flies out in front of the others and after a few long moments, they start to pick up speed as if they have discovered something.

April suddenly feels a burning sensation on her chest and for a split moment she thinks that the beach from her nightmare might suddenly appear in front of her. However she quickly notices that it is the Tardis key that hangs around her neck on a chain. She rips it off and the key glows brightly in the palm of her hand. With sudden excitement April quickly searches the ground below her, hoping for some sign of the Tardis' whereabouts or for the groaning sound it makes which sounds like music to her ears.

When they fly over the river Themes April suddenly spots the Tardis parked along the embankment, but before she has time to say anything, the Tardis' blue light starts to flash before vanishing.

Then April's body weight suddenly falls forward as her Wingerdette picks up a huge amount of speed. They speed through London at a high speed, heading straight towards Canary Wharf, only narrowly missing it to land on the roof of the HSBC tower where Rose and Suzette stand.

Alic, Colonel Brimikawood, April and a couple of other UNIT soldiers jump off the Wingerdettes after landing and follow Alic who opens an iron hatch in the roof.

"I'm sure there's something down here." Alic says as he climbs down into the hutch feet first.

"Cyberman technology," Rose says. "The Doctor said they left different devices all over the city when they first came here."

"Then we must destroy it." Alic replies before jumping down.

The wind blows heavily while on the roof and the others climb through the hatch after Alic. April and Suzette are last to climb in and Suzette goes in behind April.

They find themselves in a small square metal ventilation shaft and are only able to pass through it by crawling on their hands and knees. They follow Alic who follows the senses he receives from their tracking device. They turn corners in the tunnel, getting their hands and their knees dirty from the crawl.

Rose glances forward after a while of crawling. The rear end of Colonel Brimikawood is just in front of her. "Just going to put it out there, Colonel, but this isn't your most professional look."

Alic snorts.

"I don't suppose yours is any better." The Colonel replies humorously and Rose laughs, but their humour vanishes as quickly as it came.

Eventually they stop at a dead end. The end of the tunnel is sealed off.

"Drat!" Alic curses as he bangs his fist on the wall. "The Cyberman's device is on the other side."

"Well that's just fantastic!" Suzette scoffs. "Is there any way we can get through it. A handle? A switch?"

"Try this," Rose pulls out a magnetic disc from her jean pocket. "Fix it to the wall and it should open it in a few seconds."

Just as Rose is about to hand it over to Alic they all turn their attention to their left where they hear something in the distance. It sounds like it is something hurrying in their direction.

"Get that doorway open now!" The Colonel hisses and Alic slams the disc onto the wall. A green light flashes upon the disc's surface and it bleeps a couple of times. The tunnel shudders before light slowly peeps out through the bottom of the wall as it slowly starts to rise.

April keeps her eye on the other end of the tunnel where the sound comes even closer to them. Moments later the Dalek creature inside the shell suddenly appears from around the corner.

The creature stops at the end as it keeps its one eye focused on them. Alic, the Colonel, Rose, April, Suzette and the other UNIT soldiers freeze as they look at the Dalek creature at the other end of the tunnel.

"I repeat," Colonel Brimikawood says carefully. "Get that door open _now_!"

Alic hurriedly tries to lift the bottom of the slow opening wall with all his might as the Dalek creature starts to crawl over to them at a quick, threatening pace. The others panic as several more Dalek creatures appear. Suzette and the other soldiers start shooting them. The shots however do not kill the creatures but merely manages slow them down in their approach.

"Hurry up!" Suzette shouts above the sound of fire. "We can't hold them off for much longer!"

With a sudden jerk, Alic manages to push the rest of the doorway open, and just as he goes to start crawling forward, he is only met up a dozen more Dalek creatures.

"We're surrounded!" Alic calls as he starts to shoot at the other creatures.

Rose looks at April. "Go down!" She shouts.

April does not hesitate before she uses one of her guns to shoot a hole big enough to allow everyone to fall through the bottom of the tunnel.

They fall and land on scratchy carpet in an office, narrowly missing the desks.

Then ripping a grenade from her belt, April throws it back into the tunnel and the Colonel uses his gun to close off the hole. And then without hesitation, everyone quickly takes cover under the desks as the ventilation shaft explodes, killing the Dalek creatures inside.

Not even a moment passes before they all quickly scramble to their feet. The Colonel asks if everyone is okay and not injured.

It doesn't take long for April to realise that she is, in fact, standing in the same office she was in during the final round of the training period. She recognises the murky green carpet, the desks and the filing cabinets at the other end of the room where they found the last UNIT flag. She remembers Private Jefferson accidentally setting the office on fire when trying to rid the holographic Zygon.

The Colonel's phone rings and he answers it, only to briefly speak to Harry. When the conversation is over he announces that there is a Dalek and a Cyberman fleet marching to Canary Wharf from different angles.

"You have been chosen!" Five Cybermen suddenly appear through the fire exit.

Everyone takes cover as they shoot down the Cybermen.

When the Cybermen fall down with a loud clatter, Rose frantically pulls out a few more circular discs, different from the ones before. "We need to get out of here," Rose says as she hands them out with shaking hands. "Press the button and we'll be down on the quad below."

"Okay," Colonel Brimikawood nods. "Once we're down there, we'll take cover and kill anything that comes our way. And we won't stop until it's over. Is that clear?"

Everyone nods.

A moment later and there is the sound of a loud explosion far off in the distance, but the sound is so strong it shakes the building. Everyone falls to the floor and scramble to pick up their discs again. Seconds later and they are transported out to the quad.

However April and Colonel Brimikawood, who both fell further away from any of the discs are abandoned in the office as the other discs are gone. April desperately searches the floor but she can't find any of the circular discs as there are none left.

The Colonel curses loudly as he gets back to his feet, ignoring the dust and the papers scattered everywhere. "Fate really has it in for us!" The Colonel suddenly jumps at the sight of the black Dalek entering the office. Without further ado, he pulls out his gun and goes to shoot at the Dalek but nothing happens. "Damn! I'm out of ammo!"

April rolls onto her stomach and quickly looks out of the window to see a Cyberman spaceship hurtling straight towards the HSBC office at a high speed. It is as if all Daleks and Cybermen know that they are there in that office.

In one swift motion April takes out another gun and flashes it at the Dalek. A blue electrical charge releases from the gun and hits the Dalek, pushing it against the wall. No matter how much the Dalek tries to restrain from the force, it is stuck to the wall.

"How are we going to get out?" The Colonel asks, trying to search for an exit.

"Jump out of the window, obviously." April replies sarcastically as her grip on the gun shakes, struggling to hold the force onto the struggling Dalek.

The Colonel stares at April. "That'll kill us, obviously." His voice is mocking.

"Well do you have a better idea?" April shouts. "There's a bloody Cyberman spaceship heading our way if you haven't already realised!"

The Colonel looks out the window and notices the spaceship. He grunts to himself. "I suppose it's all we've got." He knows that in a couple of minutes either the spaceship will crash into the office and they would die, or April will lose her grip on the force and the Dalek will exterminate them.

April notices the Colonel's hesitation as he shyly glances out the large windows, avoiding standing too close to the edge. "What are you then? A Wingerdette flyer that's afraid of heights?"

The Colonel sighs, trying to ignore the fact that he is afraid of heights as he pulls out two gold sticky tabs. He slaps one onto April's neck.

"Ow!" She complains.

"Stop complaining," The Colonel hisses as he puts one onto his neck. "It'll defy gravity for us when we're falling."

"You're taking my sarcasm literal." April says through gritted teeth, struggling to hold back the Dalek.

"You wouldn't be so bad yourself at giving orders." The Colonel replies gruffly.

April looks at the Colonel sideways before she nods.

The Colonel takes hold of April's elbow and pulls her along as he slowly makes his way towards the large window. April keeps her gun aimed at the Dalek as she side-steps with the Colonel. Colonel Brimikawood carefully looks out the windows to see the others down on the quad below fighting the upcoming Cybermen and Daleks who are also still battling against each other. He sees Ireen and Will have joined them too.

"I'm going to hate you for this." The Colonel mutters. "What does my son like about you?"

April smirks. "You can thank me later."

As April releases the Dalek, the Colonel grabs onto her and jumps out the window, breaking through the glass. Moments after they jump, the Cyberman spaceship crashes straight into the office.

They fall through the air at high speed and the Colonel keeps his grip on April as they spin around in the air. They hold onto each other for support as they fall. As they do, April can't help but think that if the tabs suddenly faults and stops defying gravity, she would have killed herself and the Colonel seeing as this was her idea. For a second, guilt overcomes her. She closes her eyes as the thought returns to her.

But the tabs do not falter. They start to slow down the fall until they eventually land lightly on the ground. As soon as they land they both immediately roll into cover. April throws some of her ammo to the Colonel before joining Suzette behind a broken wall.

"You okay?" Suzette asks.

April nods, slightly breathless.

Suzette squeezes April's hand before they start shooting at the Cybermen. They all stay in the quad constantly shooting at the Daleks and the Cybermen that come their way.

Everyone can't help but feel a little hopeful as they are successful in destroying every alien. They work together as a small team and they can only hope that Terry, Jason, Harry, Martha, Sarah-Jane, Rex, Declan and all the other soldiers are fighting just as well.

However no one knows where the Doctor has gone to.

Once it looks like the area is clear, the Colonel orders everyone to move out. They start running through the streets of London around Canary Wharf, shooting down any alien they pass or any device they find along the way.

The Colonel runs forward through to the end of an alleyway that leads out to a main road but once he spots a line of Daleks moving away from them on the main road, he falls back into the alleyway. He has to hold an arm out to stop April from running out into the road. The Colonel then orders everyone to cover him as he runs out first. He heads towards an archway to a shop door as he shoots at the Daleks, getting their attention.

The dozen Daleks there all turn to the Colonel and start to shoot in his direction, but the others come out of different hiding places to attack the Daleks. Some of the Daleks turn their attention to some Cybermen that appear around the corner. Everyone panics a little as there are so many to kill at once, but the Daleks and the Cybermen manages to kill each other off for them.

Slowly, one by one, they run across to the other side of the road where the Colonel is as the others cover for them.

Once the road is clear, April and Suzette nod to each other before they run over last, but as soon as they almost reach the over side, a couple of Cybermen appear around the corner and start to shoot at them. April and Suzette stumble into the alleyway in a fright as Alic pulls them into safety, narrowly missing the bullets from the Cybermen. Everyone else shoots at the unexpected Cybermen.

"I'm fine." April hisses when Will tries to help her up. She turns and asks if Suzette is and Suzette replies with a weak nod.

April quickly rolls over to kill the last Cyberman. When it falls to the ground dead, no one moves for a moment as they make sure that they cannot hear any more Cybermen or Daleks coming their way before moving on.

When they are sure that there are none, everyone moves again.

"Okay everyone, move out," Colonel Brimikawood orders. "Keep up the good work, we're nearly there. We can get through this."

As everyone starts to run off April turns back to Suzette who is still lying on her back on the ground, her shoulders resting up against the wall.

"Okay, let's go." April says as she takes Suzette's arm to help her back onto her feet. But her mother only looks back at April with dazed eyes.

April continues to gently pull Suzette's arm. "Come on, we need to go," April shakes her head when Suzette continues to stare at her. "Mum?"

April tries to pull Suzette up into sitting position, but her head only rolls unconsciously to one side. Suzette then drops her arm to reveal a wound in her side where the Cyberman had shot her.

"No, no, no," April whimpers as she holds her mother's almost lifeless face. "Stay with me, okay? Mum please, just stay!"

The Colonel stops running and orders everyone else to stop once he realises that Suzette is injured.

April cries as she watches the life escaping her mother. "No, mum, no!" She screams as tears roll down her cheeks. "You're going to be fine, mum, just please stay with me!" She starts to become hysterical as she constantly calls out for her mum. "Don't do this again, mum, please! Not again. Mum! Don't leave me again!"

Suzette manages to smile weakly at her parallel daughter for the last time before letting out her last breath.

"Mum!" April screams once more. "I can't lose you again, mum!" April sobs uncontrollably as she holds her mother's lifeless body close to her. She cries aloud, rocking back and forth, burying her face in her mother's tangled brown hair. She holds onto Suzette tightly as if she is trying to pass on some of her own life onto her mother's just so she can live again.

A couple of Cybermen and a few Daleks spot them in the alleyway and start shooting in their direction. April screams as she clutches to her mother even tighter. The bullets fly over their heads, hitting the brick wall behind.

The rest start to shoot back to cover April and her dead mother.

"Stop, just stop it!" April screams hysterically as she looks up at the Cybermen in front of her. "There's no point now, can't you see it's all over?" She then looks down at her mother before planting a kiss on her forehead.

Will wraps his arms around April's waist and tries to pull her back to her feet.

"Come on, we need to move." He whispers in her ear.

April allows Will to pull her up and once she is back on her feet, she wriggles out of Will's grip and starts running away from her mother without a glance back. She hastily wipes away her tears as she passes the Colonel and the other soldiers, ignoring their confused stares.

The small group run on for a while longer not bumping into any upcoming aliens. When they reach to another alleyway a few blocks away, April has to stop running as she leans against the wall and sobs at the loss of her mother.

At that very moment, all April wants is for all wars to stop.


	22. XXI - Extinguishing the remains

**XXI  
Extinguishing the remains**

 _Parallel World  
_ _Dalek spaceship_

The Doctor dances around the Tardis console in delight after he finds his Tardis again. He wants to cry with delight and finds himself kissing the buttons and stroking the tree-like pillars in the room, ecstatic to be reunited. But he stops himself as he knows that he has a job to finish. The battle is nearing its end and there is one last thing the Doctor has to do before it is all over.

Pulling down the leaver the Doctor enjoys the groaning sound of the Tardis as it leaves the embankment where it was parked before. He leaves Parallel Earth and lands with a little difficulty.

Although the Doctor has his ship back, he knows that she is exhausted and that it will take her a long time to get her energy back before they can move on and leave this world they were never supposed to see.

The Doctor stares at the Tardis doors once he lands, listening to the silence outside.

Slipping back into his long brown coat he walks across the console room, opening the doors and stepping out into the courtroom of the Dalek spaceship facing the Dalek King. With a sincere glare, the Doctor steps a few paces away from the Tardis. He notices the red Dalek that stands to his right looks rather worn and battered from the battle. The Doctor turns to look at the Dalek King again.

"Your sergeant looks a little weak right now wouldn't you say?" The Doctor says. "Now if we were all human here we would take him to a hospital, fix him up before allowing him to fight again," The Doctor purposefully looks pensive. "But then none of us are human here. Even if we tried."

"Why have you come back, Doctor?" The Dalek King orders. His voice loud but the tone is calm.

"Well I just wanted to make a point."

"A point of what?"

"A point to say that you have lost the battle. It's over."

"And what makes you think we're going to listen to you?"

"Because you begged me to join the side of the Daleks. You pathetic, homeless creatures got yourself in a mess with the Cybermen over the slightest hope of creating another Battle of the Cytracik. The slightest hope of ever having the power over the Cytracik."

"The battle can repeat itself."

"Unless I stop it and that's exactly what I've done," The Doctor then laughs. "You who've always been afraid of me, came to _me_ to ask for help. How does that feel to have me betray you and not help you at all in your problems?"

"You betrayed us."

"And doesn't it feel great to have your hopes crushed?" The Doctor waits for an answer but there is none. "That's exactly how I felt when you took my home away from me. And I guess you could say that we're as bad as each other, and I guess we are, but I do not go out of my way to invade a planet and kill innocent people."

"Our plan was not to invade!" The Dalek King bellows.

"But it's not like you've tried to do the same in the past!" The Doctor takes a couple of extra steps forward, not once feeling intimidated by the sheer size of the Dalek King. "You see I know about your human evolution. I saw that family tree tapestry you built and the control room at the front of your ship."

"The human control room does not belong to us! We have no power to destroy it. We can't even enter the control room. We just know it's there invisible to us."

The Doctor frowns. "There is a dark force in that control room that has stored an empty shell of one of your Daleks. And now that force is slowly turning my very cyborg, my _friend_ into a human, or at least giving her too many human-like qualities she didn't have before."

"You care too much, Doctor."

"Oh yes I do!" The Doctor throws his arms up into the air in delight, turning to look at the other gold Daleks that are floating in the air above him. "And doesn't it feel good to care?" He shouts. His voice echoes across the courtroom.

"It is always said that a good man goes to war."

"And I have been told a hundred times before, your grace." The Doctor theatrically bows to the Dalek King.

"But is the Doctor truly a good man?"

The Doctor hesitates before straightening his posture. "I often question myself the same thing because I for one don't even know if I am."

"So what is the Doctor going to do now?"

The Doctor stares at the Dalek King smirking. "Sending you back into hell, that's for sure!"

With that the Dalek spaceship starts to shake which panics all the Daleks around him. The wires in the walls of the ship spark and fires start to spurt from every direction.

"What are you doing, Doctor?!" The Dalek King cries as the Doctor runs back to stand in front of his Tardis.

"I am the Doctor," He roars. "And I would never help you to achieve what you want. But what I will help in the making is to pull you apart bit by bit until you burn," The Doctor points to the flames that spread across the courtroom quickly. "The flames were Terry's idea. She thought you'd enjoy them." The Doctor salutes to the Dalek King before jumping back into the Tardis.

"DOCTOR!" The Dalek King yells as the Tardis starts to disappear. It flies away from the ship just as it explodes and lands back where it was on the embankment.

The Doctor steps out onto the snow and watches the last of the explosion of the Dalek ship in the sky. He smiles gleefully, evidently pleased with himself as he starts running through the streets.

Every remaining Dalek and Cybermen melt into the snow until they wither away into nothing. The Doctor continues to run as fast as he can until he reaches a spot in London where some of the remaining soldiers of UNIT are. He runs straight into Rose, who laughs as he picks her up into his arms.

Jason sits on the bench beside one of UNIT's trucks, next to Declan, and lights a cigarette, which he has been desperate for days.

The battle is over and Earth is free once more.


	23. XXII - A temporary farewell

**XXII  
A temporary farewell**

 _Parallel world  
_ _Post battle_

"My mother had me when she was sixteen," Will says as he walks along the embankment with April by his side. "My grandmother hated my father enough for joining UNIT and she disowned him when I was born," Will sighs. "My parents agreed that I would grow up to be a part of UNIT, but my father, being the Colonel and all, wanted to keep it under secrecy. It was my idea to keep my mother's maiden name. They planned the life I currently lead, but nothing else suits me."

They continue to walk along the embankment where the Tardis is just about in view in the distance.

"I still live with my parents, but spend a lot of the time with Alic or Harry. I'm surprised we managed to keep this secret for so long. But now that everyone knows, I feel safer somehow," he glances at April sideways. "So, I don't think anyone expected you to turn out to be the parallel version of April Hollerford."

April wants to smile but can't bring herself to. "And I don't think many were expecting you to be Colonel Brimikawood's son. Well I guess it's pretty self-explanatory now," She says weakly as she pulls her sleeves over her fists. "It's wrong though. The Doctor, Rose, Terry nor I really should be here in the first place."

"But I'm glad you are."

April does not reply as they reach the others. Jason, Alic, Rex, Ireen, Harry, Colonel Brimikawood, Sarah-Jane, Declan, Rose, Terry and Martha sit in a line along the embankment wall. The Doctor stands at the far end by the Tardis, leaning against the wall. April finds it strange to see everyone out of their uniform, but remains to say nothing as she slides onto the wall next to Jason. Will sits on her other side and there everyone remains silent.

It is only the following day since the end of the battle and it is already announced that UNIT are to be shut down for good. Somehow the British army and the police broke their way into the base and ordered the company to leave their work and never return. If UNIT refused they will be locked up in prison. Colonel Brimikawood had no other choice but to surrender.

England are no longer under quarantine now that the battle is over and the American and the European government have offered help to the country clean up the mess and raise the salary to the doctor's and the nurses working on their injured patients.

The silence between them is long and too unbearable for anyone to take but after the long stretch of days that they had fought continuously, no one knows what it is that they want to say.

UNIT have lost a huge amount of their soldiers; a mere fifty of them survived and it is hard for anyone to take in. Some still jump at the slightest sound, thinking that either a Dalek or a Cyberman will jump out and threaten to kill them. But that will never happen again because the enemy has been destroyed. The enemy has successfully done their job in killing one another, but the human power to strive for survival was too much and the Daleks and the Cybermen lost.

Now it is UNIT's job to continue with their lives outside of UNIT. They are to keep their heads low. Stay with their families, start a new quiet civilian job and stay away from any public affairs. They are banned from attempting to get into the British army or the police force; not like anyone wants to anyway. They are also banned from trying to get into any major high paying jobs. They have been downgraded to what society believe to be the lowest of the low in job terms. A list of jobs was given out that they are to apply for if they want, including street cleaners, dustbin men, cleaners or factory workers. However everyone is quite disgusted upon the fact that these jobs are classed as low. Colonel Brimikawood merely tore the list up and threw it away.

"Rodger Barratt said that UNIT wasn't going to end." Ireen speaks, wanting to break the silence.

"And there's our whole company in a nutshell." Jason replies before lighting a cigarette trying to ignore the way everyone turns to glare at him in unison.

"Out of curiosity," The Doctor starts. "What do you think you will all do? I mean the government didn't have the right to strip you down from your ranks and thankfully they didn't, but what are you all now going to do without UNIT."

Martha smiles as she looks at the Doctor. "We're all still human you know."

The Doctor smirks.

"I guess for the time being we're going to have to get back to our families."

The Doctor then looks at Martha. "Back to your mother?"

"Not quite."

The Colonel slides off the wall as he slips into his long grey coat. Everyone eventually does the same as they pick up their remaining possessions from the base.

"Oh is everyone going now?" Rose asks before the Doctor helps her jump down from the wall.

"You could come with us for a bit." The Doctor suggests to both Martha and Sarah-Jane.

"We can't" Sarah-Jane replies. "We have a life here and I can't leave it," She then looks at the Tardis. "Besides the Tardis is not yet strong enough to fly out of this universe."

"Not for another few months approximately. You can make do with me until then."

Sarah-Jane smiles before hugging the Doctor. Martha also smiles before walking over to Jason and affectionately taking his hand in hers. Jason smiles as they both whisper something to each other. And then Jason leans in to kiss her tenderly on the lips. The Doctor watches Martha with a smile on his face, happy to see her building her new life with someone like Jason. They both finally admitted that they had been seeing each other outside of work for the past year but wanted to keep things under wraps.

Everyone gathers around Colonel Brimikawood as he clears his throat, ready to make a speech.

"Okay, guys, listen up," He begins as he looks at his fellow soldiers. "It's been a long war and one of our toughest. And Captain Jason Hoffman has survived another battle without any wounds," The small crowd of UNIT soldiers laugh and someone slaps Jason on the back. "But for the years we've been together it's been a real pleasure. You should be proud of what you have done and everything you have achieved. And despite the fact that our country hates us for things that were not our fault, we should be happy with what we've achieved. We've learnt about life forms more than the professional astronomers and scientists have. We've developed skills that most people wouldn't even know they had, and above all, we've stuck with each other all the way through," The Colonel smirks. "Now I know I'm getting all soppy about this but it's the truth. We have each other, and even when not in UNIT we have friends for life. We have amazing stories of bravery and love to share to our grandchildren in years to come, and just think about how many times we've saved the world! I'm proud to stand here and salute to you all. I'm proud to have trained you to be the soldiers you are today. And we've lost a few including Major Rodger Barratt who we had no clue about before. But we can forgive one another for our mistakes, Jefferson for his clumsiness and Hoffman for his bad jokes. And I'm sure you can forgive Will and I for our secret," The Colonel pauses somewhat awkwardly. "Well there's not much more I have to say. I salute you all and I look forward to continue spending time with you when we're not fighting aliens. You all deserve long and happy lives at peace. And I wish you all well."

Everyone cheers at the Colonel's speech which soon leads to a big group hug directed by Jason. April stands back by the wall next to Declan and observes the scene.

"I can't believe it's all over," April says. "It really does seem like a lifetime since I first met them."

Declan shifts on the spot. "Yeah it's hard to see anyone go."

April looks at her parallel father, now finding him more distant from her real father, but she still wishes for him to love her.

"I'm sorry," She says carefully. "About your daughter and your wife. I can't imagine what that's like." It is all she can think of to say.

"I'm sure you can seeing as you've lost both your parents," Declan then glares at April. "Please tell me your surname isn't Hollerford."

April opens her mouth to speak but Declan stops her short.

"You called Suzette your mother when she died. And I know Suzette knew something about you but never told me. Would you care to explain?" His voice is sharp and cutting.

April looks at how distressed her parallel father is and chooses her words carefully. "Imagine there's a world," She begins. "A world that's similar to this one but not quite. A _parallel_ world they tend to call them."

"Yes I know what a parallel world is." Declan snaps rudely.

April hesitates. "And imagine yourself in this parallel world where your inventions are not successful. This Declan Hollerford married a parallel version of your wife and they had their daughter, April," April purses her lips as she tries to study her father's questioning look. "What happens if that April lost her parents when she was only thirteen? And what if, by chance, she was transported to a world like here where it's parallel to her own."

Declan slowly reaches forward to touch April's face, stroking the line of her jaw gently with the back of a finger. He studies her face and knows that she very much looks like himself. It suddenly makes sense to him but a voice in his head tells him that it is wrong to even think of her as his daughter as his April was killed and upgraded into a Cyberman.

"Please," April whispers as she blinks back tears. "Dad. It's me."

Declan frowns and shakes his head. "You are not my daughter." He hisses before walking away.

April watches her father leave as he soon vanishes into the distance and she tries her hardest to remind herself that he is not her real father. But she yearns to have someone to love and care for her. She desperately needs her parents back but she has lost her real ones and her parallel parents. She feels like there is no hope for her.

April's attention is quickly drawn back to the present moment as she feels Jason lift her up into a bear hug to spins her around.

"I shall see you soon, little chicken." Jason says once he puts her back on the ground.

"How soon?" April asks. It starts to dawn on her why everyone is taking this as farewell. They know that the Tardis cannot fly just yet and therefore they have to stay here in this world.

Jason glances at Martha before looking back at April. "In no time at all. We all need to settle down and I'm sure I'll see you again in a couple of days," He then lowers his voice. "We'll see you before you leave."

April shakes her head. "I don't think I want to leave this world."

Martha sighs before squeezing April's arms. "Only a few days. We promise."

They then turn to leave, walking along the embankment hand in hand.

Rose, Terry and the Doctor move onto the small UNIT crowd, shaking hands and bidding farewell. April frowns, not knowing why everyone is acting as if this is a final farewell. She catches Will's eye and he immediately comes over to her.

"Please don't tell me you're leaving me for a few days too?" April's voice is pleading. If everyone else in UNIT is to leave she at least wants Will to stay with her.

Seeing Will stand opposite her only increases the butterflies in her stomach. She never expected to fall for Will as much as she has seeing as she hated him from the start because she didn't like his arrogance. But that isn't what makes him up as a person. It reminds her of her friendship with the Doctor from the way she hated him to begin with only to now class him as a close friend.

"April, I'm still weak from the Cyberman." Will says.

"I know."

"And I have family issues to sort out and you need to spend time with the Doctor, Rose and Terry."

"But I'll just be waiting for you. Will I..." April pauses. "I want you. I need you. Please don't leave me." April's eyes fill up with tears.

Will slides his hand to the back of April's neck, pulling her into him before kissing her hard, stopping her from saying any more. He kisses her for a long time, both of them wanting to stay that way forever but he reluctantly pulls away. He closes his eyes as they rest their foreheads together.

"I just need time to breathe after this battle."

April nods and shakes her head. "I understand. We all do."

"I can only promise a few days," He strokes her cheek with his thumb. "I'm going to miss you but I'm certain we'll need it." He kisses her gently on the nose before embracing her tightly.

April looks over Will's shoulder to see the Doctor and Colonel glancing in their direction as they speak quietly to one another.

The day wears on and soon enough the remaining UNIT soldiers return home, all making the exact same promise to reunite in a few days. Rose, the Doctor, April and Terry stay at the same spot on the embankment, mainly in silence. Even when Rose, the Doctor and Terry retire to the Tardis, April rests her arms on the brick wall, looking out at the river Thames. There are still boats floating along the surface of the water and some people walk around the city, distressed from the last battle. April squeezes the UNIT badge Ireen gave her on the first day she arrived, tightly in her hands. The metal is warm in her palms and for some reason she suddenly believes that UNIT will always be with her, and the badge is enough to state that she will be a part of their team.

Terry joins April a few times as the day passes but neither says a word. They just enjoy each other's company.

"Why does it feel like that was our last goodbye?" April asks aloud but Terry doesn't answer. She too is wondering the same thing but has nothing to say in response.

Rose and the Doctor remain in the Tardis for the day, enjoying the hum of the console. Both are shocked at the loss of many friends and the battle between the Daleks and the Cybermen. The Doctor is still shocked at his own actions but Rose cheers him up. The reality of everything that happened has really sunk in. The Doctor lost his best friends from UNIT during the Battle of the Cytracik and he was close to losing them again. He knows that the longer they stay in this world, the more danger will be attracted to them.

While they wait for the Tardis to gain her energy back for the next few months before they leave the parallel world, the Doctor promises Rose that he will take her around the famous landmarks of the world. He explains about the snow covered pyramids in Egypt and that the Eiffel Tower is situated in New York. The Statue of Liberty doesn't even exist in the parallel world. This thought somewhat entertains Rose and she finds herself laughing with the Doctor. She snuggles up against him on the chair as they talk quietly to one another.

When evening falls Terry turns to go back into the Tardis and April follows. Terry skips across the console room to where the Doctor and Rose are, and April closes the door silently, looking down at the ground as she rubs her nose.

The Doctor talks about something to Terry in an excited manner as he shows her something on the console screen. Terry seems happy with whatever the Doctor has shown her. The way the Doctor, Rose and Terry look so happy again together, it looks like everything is back to normal and looking upwards for the four of them.

After battling through the war, constantly being angry at the Doctor; Rose, Terry and the Doctor have come round to try to forget that it ever happened.

April smiles weakly as she joins them by the console. The Doctor says something about the parallel world which makes Rose laugh loudly. A weight has suddenly been lifted off their shoulders and the atmosphere in the Tardis seems to relax immensely. They are glad to be back together again.

"Something on your mind?" The Doctor asks as he looks over the console at April who is running her fingers through her knotted black hair.

April looks back at the Doctor pensively before speaking. "Rodger Barratt was asking me about the Battle of the Cytracik when he was saying that the shape shifters are trying to recreate it," She purses her lips as she frowns. "And I didn't even have the words to say anything because I know nothing about it."

The Doctor shuffles awkwardly on the spot.

"All I know is that although the fighting has stopped, the battle is still happening."

"There's a lot for me to explain." The Doctor says calmly.

"There's a hell of a lot that you need to explain, Doctor. For a start, how did my parents die?" She stares at him waiting for an answer but he does not give her one. "I watched my parallel mother die yesterday."

"She's not you're real mother."

"Like I don't know that! I've had enough, Doctor!" April shouts and then sighs when the Tardis becomes quiet again. "Don't you think it's about time that I should know about my own parent's death?"

The Doctor pauses for a long moment before glancing over to Rose and Terry. Rose nods before turning away and pretending to busy herself with something else. The Doctor steps around the console and leads April towards the front doors. They sit down on the metal step and face the doors. The Doctor thinks about how he is going to explain everything to April Hollerford.

"As you know," He starts slowly. "The Battle of the Cytracik begun not long before your thirteenth birthday. How the Cytracik came about is still unknown to us. Your parents tried to avoid it at all costs until your father got a call from Colonel Brimikawood the day they died."

"On my birthday," April finishes for him. "What was the cause of the battle?"

"Greed, jealously. The want for power," The Doctor sighs. "It began with the Daleks teaming up with the shape shifters after hearing about what the Cytracik is able to do. It was in their mind that they would find it, take it and become invincible to anything. Until UNIT discovered what the Cytracik could do and went out their way to destroy it."

"And what is the Cytracik?"

The Doctor pulls out the black box from his pocket and passes it to April. She holds it in both her hands surprised at how it is completely weightless. She can see a fuzzy reflection of herself and the Doctor of the shiny surface of the box. As she looks at it, she can feel its presence, almost as if it is drawing her to it.

"This is the Cytracik? The box that only opens to those with true power," April snorts at how silly it sounds. "The Daleks and the shape shifters worked together to create a war just for this?"

"Yep. Word went around the universe very quickly about it," The Doctor replies. "And of course the box didn't open for them. It only opened for one person," The Doctor looks at April. "The Cytracik opened for your father."

April turns the box over in her hands before passing it back to the Doctor.

The Doctor continues with the story. "Of course the box will show or give different things, depending on who the person is and what their power is, but when it opened for your father, it gave him the prophecy of your family. And because of that he went out his way to stop the battle and your mother helped along the way," The Doctor clasps his hands together as he leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Declan was brave and your parents sacrificed themselves to the Daleks in order to keep you safe," He pauses for a moment allowing April to take in his words. "But the prophecy said that something bad would be left in your way and it was only you that could change that."

Her nightmare. The Cytracik has given her the nightmare and it is her job to get rid of it. How, she does not know, but she decides to say nothing to the Doctor. Change is needed, just like the fortune teller told her. She has to stop her nightmare.

"And how did UNIT die?" Her voice cracks, the thought scaring her.

"They were lined up on their knees with their hands behind their head and exterminated. One by one."

"Just like in this world at Piccadilly." April nods, chewing on her bottom lid.

"They fought as hard as they could but they weren't strong enough to survive. The Dalek's power was too strong to overcome," The Doctor sighs. "I sent both Martha and Sarah-Jane to this parallel world to keep them safe and alive, as per Colonel Brimikawood's instructions. But because of this, they have no recollection of it. They don't even know that they are in a parallel world. They only know that they used to travel with me. The Colonel is the only one who knew all along, but now I guess they all know that you're not from this world," The Doctor then shuffles on the step. "You know, April, I feel like I could've taken more part in the battle and maybe my friends would still be alive. And you would still have your parents. I took part in the battle along with UNIT and my fiends are dead."

April reaches over and places his hand on top of his. "Don't blame yourself for anything, Doctor. I'm sure either way there wasn't much you could do to change it. Besides your friends are alive here. Isn't that good enough?"

The Doctor breathes out heavily. "But it's weird to watch someone die only to see them alive again, not knowing anything at all. We're in a parallel world, April. A world we shouldn't be in and now we're stuck here until the Tardis regains her energy," He looks at April. "Don't you find it weird to be around someone who is supposed to be dead?"

"I try not to think about it," April replies. "I guess I find it easier because I didn't know Will before," April hesitates as she feels the Doctor's harsh stare. "Or Jason or Ireen or even Harry. I just remember hearing about UNIT every so often," She looks down and twiddles her thumbs. "You have a time machine. Why can't we go back in time to stop that battle from happening. Find out how the Cytracik came about and stop that."

"Unfortunately I have been told that this time around, time is a fixed point. Time heals but it can't heal this. Everything that happens from now on with the Cytracik cannot be changed."

"Who told you that?" April scoffs.

"The man who knows all."

April's scowl increases at this as she stares at her reflection on the surface of the Cytracik. The Doctor stares at her before looking at the doors again.

"But now we have the Cytracik, we just need to find out how to destroy the thing."

"What else did my prophecy say about me?" She asks. "I mean the Slitheen knew about it."

"If I tell you what the prophecy says will you tell me why you're known as the Ice Girl?"

April hesitates before looking away from the Doctor. There is no way she is going to tell the Doctor about her nightmare.

The Doctor pulls out his sonic screwdriver and shines it at the console. The Tardis starts to move for a couple of minutes before it stops. Once it does, the Doctor clicks his fingers and the doors swing open.

April stares out at the million stars outside. They are sitting up in the parallel space.

"I know it's a parallel universe but I did promise to take you to see the stars." The Doctor says smiling as he watches April's eyes scan over the view in front of her. "Beautiful isn't it?"

April nods, a smile slowly breaking out on her face.

The Doctor wraps his arm around her waist as they look out at the stars. "Someday, April," He says softly. "We will be free for a long time. You will be free from your fears, Rose will be free from any danger that tries to link itself upon her, and I guess Terry will be free from her human emotions. Unless those emotions turn out to be the best of her."

"And someday, you'll be free from everything that hates you," April's scowl deepens. "I can't help but think that there's something out there that's trying to get the four of us," April says quietly. "Something big. Like this is the beginning of some big storm. That Cytracik was the reason why Bruce was killed and the shape shifters tried to kill us, but it was also the reason why I'm here with you. It's like something is binding the four of us together but at the same time it's trying to pull us apart."

The Doctor frowns as he listens to April's words. "I'm sure that'll be something we'll get round. We always do."


	24. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Four different television screens on a wall flash before Rodger Barratt's eyes as he stands back and observes the clippings, spending long periods of time watching each screen. First he focuses on the top left hand corner screen where he watches each individual soldier of UNIT in their last training course. He studies the way they move, their strongest and weakest moments and their repeated habits. He finds himself rewinding and continuously watching the way Colonel Brimikawood adapts to the long obstacle course on his first time there.

Rodger Barratt then turns his attention to his next two screens that show images of the last battle, one from Piccadilly Circus and one in the quad outside Canary Wharf. Even Rodger Barratt admits to himself that this UNIT are good and very strong, much stronger than they were during the Battle of the Cytracik in the other world. They are too good for his liking.

The fourth screen shows images of the Doctor working in the Tardis and in battle. He finds himself studying the Doctor for a long time.

"Computer," Rodger Barratt calls out after a long while. "I believe in order to fully destroy the Doctor; we must pull him apart bit by bit until he burns."

"You have quoted him correctly, sir," The computer replies. "And therefore we shall do the same."

Rodger Barratt studies the screen further. "We need to tackle his weaknesses. How about getting to Rose Tyler? He seems rather fond of her."

"Targeting loved ones is a good start, sir. He blames himself on a lot of things especially when he loses someone."

"I like the idea," Rodger Barratt look pensive. "Pin down Rose Tyler. The Doctor takes the Daleks and the Cybermen away, I'll take Rose Tyler. Maybe the Devil might be a good shot for her. He was good for the Colonel."

"What about the Ice Girl?"

Rodger Barratt grunts. "I've had it with her. I hate her enough as it is already, I'll kill her with my bare hands," He considers the screens for a while longer. "Computer, we need to build up a business. A business that can target the Doctor and the life around him like his companions and UNIT. Something that will help us get to the Cytracik. Maybe set it in the Ice Girl's prophecy."

"What will the business do, sir?"

Rodger Barratt considers the question for a while. "Let's create a society around the Black Lighthouse in which the citizens run under the rules and regulation of this company. Sort of like a government, maybe? Perhaps they could be dealing with time. I don't know, I need to develop this plan. They need a name."

"Heat Miles?" The computer suggests.

Rodger Barratt frowns. "And what does that even specify?" His voice is sharp, almost as if he isn't impressed with the name.

"It holds the exact same letters as Time Heals. It can be a good cover; the Doctor will never understand it at first," The computer pauses for a moment. "Will the shape shifters run it?"

"No, we'll have humans running it," He then starts to chuckle deeply as a wide smile spreads across his face. "I like this very much, computer, and I'm sure we can make it work. Get it sorted!"

Rodger Barratt watches the video of April fighting in the last stage of the training course. He chuckles again as he shakes his head knowing what is to come next. With that he turns and makes his way out of the room before disappearing into thin air.

 **END OF BOOK TWO**

 _ **Will be continued in book three: Interrogating Answers**_


End file.
